Daily Journal: 8 May

Full Restoration

The Shunammite's Land Restored

There is a beautiful story in the bible of a woman from Shunem. She is called the Shunammite and her account tells an inspiring story of straight-forward faith and God's faithfulness to her.

2 Kings 8:1-6 (NLT)

Elisha had told the woman whose son he had brought back to life, “Take your family and move to some other place, for the Lord has called for a famine on Israel that will last for seven years.” So the woman did as the man of God instructed. She took her family and settled in the land of the Philistines for seven years. After the famine ended she returned from the land of the Philistines, and she went to see the king about getting back her house and land. As she came in, the king was talking with Gehazi, the servant of the man of God. The king had just said, “Tell me some stories about the great things Elisha has done.” And Gehazi was telling the king about the time Elisha had brought a boy back to life. At that very moment, the mother of the boy walked in to make her appeal to the king about her house and land.

“Look, my lord the king!” Gehazi exclaimed. “Here is the woman now, and this is her son—the very one Elisha brought back to life!” “Is this true?” the king asked her. And she told him the story. So he directed one of his officials to see that everything she had lost was restored to her, including the value of any crops that had been harvested during her absence.

This woman was apparently married to a wealthy man who was more advanced in years than her. She appears to have been widowed during the famine and the time she was away. She returns with her son to her home and seeks restoration from the king for what she has lost. She is granted it along with interest. The timing of her request is a miracle and her restoration is complete. If we were to pick out lessons to be learned from her, we could say this:

• She had the right people around her: she somehow became friends with Elisha and through him she looked to the Lord

• She was courageous, moving to a new country she was unfamiliar with when she didn’t have a choice

• She listened to the prophet

• She followed wise counsel

• She was proactive, coming home when the time was right (after the famine ended).

• She was assertive, petitioning the king for her land

• She looked after her family. She took her family with her to be saved from the famine

• She had her son with her when she went to petition the king. It doesn't mention her husband

• She was ready to tell her story

The Lord continued to favour her life. Why did God favour her so much?

• She looked to Him

• She listened

• She was obedient

• She trusted

• She looked after others

Just as in the Shunammite's account, we can trust in God’s restoration to be full and complete in our lives too.

Psalm 34:15 (ESV)

The eyes of the LORD are toward the righteous and his ears toward their cry.