The Prophetic-Faith Exchange.

The lifeless thing.

It may be a lost child, a lost job, or a lost marriage. And, figuratively speaking, we may hold the thing in our lap and watch helplessly until its last vestiges of life slip away. This was the experience of the Shunammite woman, whose son became ill and died.

Why did she never make arrangements to bury the lifeless thing? What kept her operating in faith?

The Shunammite continued to believe the promise.

Second Kings 4:8-36 illustrates the keeping power of a prophetic promise. It is that promise that keeps us encouraged even in the face of apparent loss.

It seems that from time to time God sets up prophetic encounters, short-term dyads between leadership and laity, where not even a spouse nor a ministry assistant is involved in producing the promise. We see this in the relationship between the Shunammite woman and Elisha. There had been an exchange between them: she had blessed Elisha with food and lodging, and he had blessed her by speaking prophetically into her life. God caused them to honor Him through this prophetic exchange: one room added to the physical house for the sake of the prophet, and one son added to the biological household for the sake of the woman.

And perhaps this is why the Shunammite's husband and Gehazi, though faithful men, could not be full participants in the miraculous. They stood outside of the circle of exchange. As Pastor Joy shared on Sunday, the Shunammite woman's husband questioned why she would want to see the prophet apart from a Sabbath or feast day (See Second Kings 4:23), and Gehazi even took the stance of attempting to push the Shunammite woman away from Elisha's feet (see Second Kings 4:27). They didn't understand what was happening.

We have loved ones and close colleagues who hold important positions in our lives (such as Gehazi and the Shunammite's husband did), but their status does not equip them to stand in the gap for us. Their lack of spiritual depth makes it impossible for them to offer authentic spiritual help in a time of crisis. They are close to us physically and emotionally, but somehow they aren't able to navigate the spiritual demands of walking in faith and courage when faced with "the lifeless thing".

There seems to be a correlation between participating in the prophetic promise and having the ability to exercise faith for the miraculous. In verses 21 and 33 of Second Kings 4, we see that the Shunammite woman and Elisha employed the action of shutting the door, an act that restricted the crisis response to the ones who had the necessary measure of faith to deal with the crisis. Jesus Himself employed the same action:

...people came from the synagogue ruler’s house saying, “Your daughter has died. Why trouble the teacher any longer?” But Jesus, paying no attention to what was said, told the synagogue ruler, “Do not be afraid; just believe.” He did not let anyone follow him except Peter, James, and John, the brother of James... he put them all outside and he took the child’s father and mother and his own companions and went into the room where the child was. (Mark 5:35-37, 40)

Pastor Joy made the observation that perhaps our needed miracles have been sidetracked because we've spent our energies on discussing our needs with those who, though close to us, are not equipped to help us. Perhaps it is time for us to take counsel from the Scriptures, from our Savior, and from the countless saints who have gone before us. The prophetic process has no place for unequipped spectators. It is a place for the faith-filled, the fearless, the few who can stand before the lifeless thing and speak life back into its being.

So be encouraged my friends, even in the face of loss. Keep hold of the prophetic promise. Have great faith. Dismiss the spectators. Shut the door. And speak life.