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Be Faithful

Hope Ministries - Columnist
Posted 10/16/20

Living in such uncertain times can leave us filled with stress and anxiety as we never know what the next day will bring. However, there is one constant that will never change. “Jesus Christ is the …

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Be Faithful

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Living in such uncertain times can leave us filled with stress and anxiety as we never know what the next day will bring. However, there is one constant that will never change. “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever” (Hebrews 13:8). We can be certain of that.

Another scripture that can give us assurance of God's care for us at all times is Psalm 18:25. It says, “To the faithful you will show yourself faithful.” So if we determine to remain faithful to God no matter what is happening around us, we can stand on this promise that He will be faithful to take care of us and meet our needs.

There's a story from the Bible that beautifully illustrates this truth. It's found in 2 Kings 4:8-37 and continues in 2 Kings 8:1-6. It's about a woman from Shunem, which was near the Jezreel Valley and a possession of the tribe of Issachar. We are never told her name - she's only referred to as the Shunammite woman.

We are told that she was a wealthy woman with an aging husband and no children. One day the great prophet Elisha came to her town and she invited him to her home for a meal. She knew that Elisha was a holy man of God, and urged her husband to build a room for him at their home.

Elisha wanted to do something to express his appreciation for her faithful hospitality. His servant, Gehazi, suggested that she needed a son to care for her as her husband was quite old. Elisha's word came to pass and she had a son within the year. But some years later the boy died in his mother's arms. She believed that just as she'd been faithful to the Lord, He would now be faithful to her. She believed that if she could just get the man of God there, her son would live.

The Shunammite woman hurried to Mount Carmel to find Elisha, urging him to come with her, and would not leave without him. Her faith was rewarded as God worked through Elisha to indeed resurrect her son back to life. But this was not the end of God faithfully providing for this woman.

God had determined to send a famine upon Israel for seven years, and sent Elisha to tell the woman about it. He instructed her to take her family and move away for those seven years, so she moved her family to Philistia. When the seven years were up, she returned to Israel and was on her way to see the king to ask for her home and land back.

God knew the exact day and time she would be going to the king and went before to prepare the way. She found Gehazi was with the king, telling him the very story of how Elisha had raised her son from the dead. That's when the woman entered, and to his amazement, Gehazi was able to tell the king that this was the woman and here was her son.

After hearing this story, the king not only restored the Shunammite's home and land to her, but also the value of any crops that had been harvested while she was gone. God, in His faithfulness to His faithful servant, restored all that had been lost to her.

Psalm 101:6 tells us that God searches for faithful people. When He finds them, you can be sure that He will also be faithful to them.

Hope Ministries is a Christian counseling center, and we are here to help. If you would like to speak confidentially with someone, give us a call at 482-5300.

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