“It Is Well” 12/29/03
2 Kings 4:8-37
The common greeting now days is to ask someone when you see them, “How are you?” or “How you doing?” as to the younger generation. Now most of the time the reply will be “fine and you” no matter if it is fine or not. But today I want to look at a story in the Old Testament that we find this question of “How are you” and see if we can have the same reply that this woman did. “It is well”.
But let’s go and do the background first.
She made a place for him (2 Kings 4:8-10)
This woman must have been a good cook, because we read where “as often as he would pass by”, he would turn there to eat some food. Now before Cracker Barrel started going in every where. I would do the same. When traveling and looking for a place to eat, I would look for a Cracker Barrel somewhere. My wife Hope not only likes to eat there, but she likes the shopping there also.
So this was one of Elisha favorite place to stop when passing through. Now she enjoyed Elisha’s company so much she went to her husband and asked him to turn her home into a bed and breakfast. Adding a room on the side of their house with a bed, table, and a chair with a lampstand beside it. She wanted this man of God to feel as welcome and comfortable as he could be.
As I thought about this, I wondered if we do the same. Now I’m not asking you to make me a room in your house, but I wonder to we do everything that we can to make Jesus feel welcome in our house.
Revelation 3:20, Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with Him, and he with Me.
First of all, Jesus in a gentleman, he will not force the door open. We have to invite Him in. If you have never accepted Jesus Christ as your personal Savior you need to invite Him to come in your heart. I know there has been times that I’ve seen a salesman or someone I did not care to see and so when they knocked at my door, I pretended not to be there so they would go away. Don’t make the mistake of doing that with Jesus. Invite Him in your heart today.
But after you have invited Him in, do you do everything in your power to make Him feel welcome? Or do you put Him away in some corner and only take Him out when you need Him for something.
If you are a Christian, we need to do every thing that we can to make Him feel welcome and the way to do that is by making Him top priority in your life.
Have you ever been somewhere, where they go out of their way to make sure that you feel welcome? That is what we need to do with Him.
She was awarded a son (Vs.11-17)
As a way to repay this woman for her kindness, she was given a son in her old age. Much like the birth of Isaac to Abraham and Sarah, a gift from God.
We will also be rewarded for our works. Our awards are in two parts. First of all here on earth. Now when you become a Christian it does not mean that life great there after. In fact, the Bible tells us that there will be persecution for Christians. But you will be awarded the one thing this world can never give you. Peace. You have Peace because you have the Prince of Peace. And when the problems of this world come at you, then you have peace knowing that the Prince of Peace is there with you.
But the truth of the matter is that you are awarded in other ways. You can be awarded financially. Not saying that you will be rich. But He says in Philippians 4:19, And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.
You will never be alone. Hebrews 13:5b,I will never leave you, nor forsake you. And the list goes on and on.
But you will also be awarded in Heaven.
2 Corinthians 5:10, For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he has done, whether it be good or bad.
Our goal should be when we get to Heaven, we will hear our Lord say, “Well done”, and we will be awarded accordingly.
A Storm Arose (Vs.18-20)
Her son that she was promised died.
Remember previously I told you that when you get saved does not mean that you will not have trouble? Have you ever felt like God gave you something and then took it away? This happens all the time. But we need to learn by the example of this woman.
She kept the Faith (Vs.21-24)
She did not lay the body of her son in his bed. She did not take him and put him in her bed. She did not call the undertaker. She placed him in the bed of the one that had promised him thus showing her faith.
We also need to take our problems to God also. We need to put our faith in Him. God will never bring you to it without making a way for you to get through it.
She kept her faith even through hard circumstances. (Vs.23)
When her circumstances around her looked grim, she still said, “It is well”.
She didn’t let her circumstances slow her down. (Vs.24)
She didn’t slow down. She kept on going. Often times when things go bad, Christians can loose faith. We must do Paul says and press on. Keep our faith.
If you want to be well (Vs. 25-37)
Now we got to the part that I want to dwell on. (Vs. 26)
Do you find it strange that when she was asked about herself, her husband, and her child, she said it is well?
We know that her son was dead. We read in verse 23 that her husband seemed a little agitated for her going out to find Elisha. He was telling her that she was going on a wild goose chase. And yet she said when asked, “How’s it going?” her reply was “It is well”.
To be well we must keep our faith as we just talked about. But there are three areas that we can keep in track to help us keep our faith.
Is it well with you?
The most obvious is that in order for every thing else to be well is you have to be well yourself. And to do that you have to have the proper relationship with Jesus. If you have never been saved then it doesn’t matter how good you are or how many times you go to church. It doesn’t matter who your parents are or if your best friends with the Pope. For it to be well with you, you have to have a personal relationship with Him.
If you have accepted Christ, how is your relationship? Are you on speaking terms? Is there sin in your life preventing that fellowship with Him? For things to be well with you, you have to have that relationship with Him. Some of the most miserable people I know are not the lost who are sinning, that is what the lost do, sin. The most miserable people I know are those who have accepted Christ and have sin in their life creating separation between themselves and Him.
In order for it to be well with us, we must be well with Him.
Is it well with your spouse?
One of the hardest times that I’ve had trying to do a sermon was when my wife and I have had a little spat. Have you ever had a fight on your way to church with your spouse? I bet you came to church ready to worship. I’ve missed somebody before in a church service and called to check on them and they were honest enough to tell me that they had a fight before church and couldn’t come.
This is one reason why we are told in God’s word not to be unequally yoked. The Bible tells us that when we are married, the two become one. You can’t have one pulling one way and the other pulling a different way.
I could never be a pastor without the support of my wife. And it is such a pleasure to be able to serve the Lord with my wife. Pray for and with your spouse. Do a devotional together. Men put on the pants and love your wife as Christ loved the church. Wives, you need to be submissive to your husbands, not as an inferior person, but out love and submission to Christ.
If you want to be well, be well with your spouse.
Now if you are single and don’t have a spouse don’t think you are off the hook, because my next point will deal with you.
Is it well with your family?
If you want to be well, I mean totally well; you need to be well with your family as well. This is a tough one. I have a son who will be 13 in a few months and the signs of rebellion are approaching.
I have seen a pastor give up his church because of an unsuspected pregnancy of his teenage daughter. I have seen the tears of a worried mom over a prodigal son. I’ve seen kids crying their hearts out for their mom and dads to accept Christ. I’ve seen kids whose parents punish them by not letting them come to church. What has the world come to? The Bible tells us in the last days this will happen.
So how do we do it? How do we make it well with our family? There is a whole sermon just on this. But let me sum it up in a few words. Love them.
How can we love them?
If you are a parent you can love them by establishing rules or boundaries. There are too many grays and not enough black and white. It might not be the most popular decision you will make but it will be worth it. I’m living proof of it.
Proverbs 22:6, Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.
Maybe you are here and you have the reverse. You are the child and it is the parents not in the Lords will. Just love them. Pray for them. Live the life in front of them. Don’t lose faith.
Conclusion
So how is it? Is it well? Is it well with you? Do you have the proper relationship with Jesus? Do you have the right relationship with your spouse, and your family?
A man named Haratio Spafford in the 1800’s wrote the song “It is well with my soul”. He was over seas and his wife and daughters were on their way to be with him when their ship sank, killing all of them. When going back home he had the captain of the ship stop the boat at the place well he had lost his wife and daughters. It was there he wrote the words to this beautiful song.
My prayer is that all of us can have the faith of this man and this Shunammite woman and we to can say, “It is well”.
