"It is Alright"--All is Well with My Soul 10-1-09

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Your name is my first word of this new day -- the name above all names (Philippians 2:9). ... "When the man of God saw her coming, (Elisha) said to Gehazi his servant, 'Look, there is the Shunammite woman; run at once to meet her, and say to her, Are you alright? Is your husband alright? Is your child alright?' She answered, 'It is alright.' When she came to the man of God at the mountain, she caught hold of his feet. Gehazi approached to push her away. But the man of God said, 'Let her alone, for she is in bitter distress; the Lord has hidden it from me and has not told me' " (2 Kings 4:25-27). The woman's child was not alright; he was dead. And she was in bitter distress, beside herself in overwhelming floods of grief and loss. But not despair. Fully alive to all her emotions of anguish and pain, she knew she had to get to God. And for her, that meant getting with someone she knew believed God and the power of His love, His mercy, and His word. Even as she left her dead son at home and pushed past the doubt of her husband, she declared the faith that filled her heart as much as her pain -- "It will be alright" (v. 4:23). When she came to Elisha's servant, still reeling in the wake of shock and sorrow, she continued to declare in faith, "It is alright." What was "alright?" What would "be alright?" Was she in denial? Or was she so full of faith that she knew God would raise her son from the dead? I'm not sure. But I do know she was persistent and tenacious in her pursuit of God and in her pursuit of someone to stand with her who believed in the goodness and power of God. Something rose up in her that wasn't willing to take no for an answer (v. 4:30). But even in the midst of all she was going through, that felt so far from the will and the heart of God, she knew down inside "It will be alright." Maybe she had faith for a miracle. Or maybe she just knew deep down inside, "It is well with my soul." Maybe it was her way of saying to everyone around her, to all of the spiritual realm, and to her own soul, "I'm trusting God to get me through this, one way or the other." As my spiritual mother and mentor in prayer, Margaret Therkelsen, likes to say in a flourish of her Kentucky wit and faith, "Come hell or high water, I'm goin' on with God!" I think of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego about to go through the fiery furnace, trusting God whether You delivered them from the fire or not, knowing You would go with them through the fire no matter what (Daniel 3:17). I remember Job's words, "Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him" (Job 13:15, NKJV). And I hold fast to Your promise through Isaiah, "Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are Mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the waters, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you" (Isaiah 43:1-2). With the faith of David, I declare with the faith of this grieving mother, "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for Thou art with me; Thy rod and Thy staff they comfort me" (Psalm 23:4, KJV). You heal in many ways: Sometimes instantaneously in the miracle of a moment; sometimes in the process of restoration, little by little, step by step, and day by day; sometimes through the help of others and truths You've given us in the science and truths of Your creation; sometimes by the grace to persevere until the day Your Kingdom comes in its fullness and all are healed all the time; and sometimes through the healing of the resurrection when we pass through death into the fullness of eternal life in Christ. I don't know if the Shunammite woman knew by faith how You would heal her son and her heart. But I believe she knew she wasn't about to try to go that that grief alone. I believe she had come to know the God who never leaves us nor forsakes us, who is always redeeming us and all things, even the things that break our heart and Yours (Hebrews 13:5). And it's clear that that kind of persevering faith, in the midst of such heartbreak and loss, moved the heart of the man of God and moved the heart of the God of man (2 Kings 4:35). It was alright, just as she had said, just as she believed, because her heart was right with You. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, I join with you in the agreement of prayer for healing and breakthrough in the things that bring grief and sorrow to your life. Thank you for praying in faith and agreement for me. We know our Redeemer lives, and will cause all things to work together for good in its season, in due time. Our part is to trust Him through it all. I would be thrilled for you to order my new book for yourself or someone who may enjoy it with my perspective on healing and God's heart for restoration in the process of the journey, with mighty breakthroughs along the way: Free to Be Like Jesus -- Transforming Power of Healing & Deliverance: http://www.messiah-ministries.org/ or at http://www.amazon.com/ I have two ministry trips abroad coming up (Estonia in October and Pakistan in December), where I'll be sharing my teaching and my heart for prayer and healing. If you'd like to join our intercessory prayer team, connected by email, please let me know. Since this will be my first ministry engagement sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ and ministering the healing love of God in a Muslim nation, I'm sensing the need for an especially strong and committed covering of prayer: TommyHays@aol.com Subscribe Free by email to me at Messiah Ministries --mailto:--MessiahMin@aol.com-- "Preparing the Way of the Lord ... Ministering the Healing Love of God" www.messiah-ministries.org 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502