Resurrection of Saints: Plaque circa 1250 Wikipedia CCL
Meditation
The Thirty-Fourth Day of Lent shares another life and death story from the Old Testament lesson. Elisha—the successor to Elijah—was working when a woman approached. Elisha could sense her distress and sent his servant, Gehazi, to greet her and ask her how things were, but she didn’t tell him the truth. She waited until she came to Elisha and threw herself at his feet, asking why he had promised her a son, only to take him away. Her son had died in her arms.
Studies say losing a spouse is a greater stress than losing a child, but I can’t think of anything worse than losing a child.
Elisha responded to her anguish by sending Gehazi ahead with his staff. Hold it over the boy. But Gehazi returned without success. Sometimes our expectations and efforts don’t seem to work. But the prophet didn’t quit. He went to the boy, and like Elijah. prayed to the Lord, laid upon the boy (the Scripture said to warm him) and put his mouth on his mouth. Sounds like CPR.
The boy revived. Came back to life.
What is to be learned? When first asking and the answer isn’t what we hoped for. Don’t give up asking. Some people will not believe. The woman went to Elisha and wouldn’t take no. Gehazi didn’t have the faith to make the boy come to life. The woman stayed with Elisha and he persisted until the boy lived…and he returned him to his mother. Alive.
When we cry unto the Lord for those things that are so important, we must persist, too. The Lord responds to our putting some effort. Our faith is assessed, too. Great faith is rewarded.
Thanks be to God.
All Scriptures printed below are in King James Version for copyright purposes. However, clicking on the verse locations will take you to Biblegateway.com where the text is linked to more contemporary versions.
Click on the Scriptures for links to biblegateway.com, where many translations of the same text enhance the understanding the readings, which come from the (RCL) Revised Common Lectionary – Daily Lectionary
Readings. I add a Daily Prayer to bless you with God’s Favor.
Enjoy the Daily Encouragement and Bible Study and may you be inspired to be your best self for this Season of Lent.
Lenten Music
All Ye Who Seek for Sure Relief – Goodchappy – organist
Raising the Son of the Woman of Shunem
Elisha Raising the Shunammite’s Son 1765; Wikipedia CCL
Prayer: Almighty God, Open my eyes that I might see. Open my mind that I might understand. Open my heart that I might make your words a part of me. May the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be acceptable in your sight. Amen
Season of Lent Art
Prophet Elisha
Elisha icon, Wikipedia CCL
26 Old Timeless Gospel Hymns – Instrumentals by Gospel Moods
Season of Lent Bible Readings
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm%20143;2%20Kings%204:18-37;Ephesians%202:1-10&version=KJV;NIV;NCV;ERV;GNT
(multiple versions)
Thirty-Fourth Day of Lent
Daily Bible Verses to Memorize for Meditating
Ephesians 2:8-10
King James Version (KJV)
8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.
10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
Season of Lent Music
It is a Thing Most Wonderful – Organ by Goodchappy
Elisha
“Prophet Elisha” from a series produced c1690 for the Chapel of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Couvent de Grande Carme, Toulouse by Marc Arcis. Musée des Augustins, Toulouse; Photo by Nick Thompson; flickr
Single Bible Study chapter to study
King James Version (KJV)
18 And when the child was grown, it fell on a day, that he went out to his father to the reapers.
19 And he said unto his father, My head, my head. And he said to a lad, Carry him to his mother.
20 And when he had taken him, and brought him to his mother, he sat on her knees till noon, and then died.
21 And she went up, and laid him on the bed of the man of God, and shut the door upon him, and went out.
“Detail of Elisha” Notice the double-headed dove! It is perched on the shoulder of the prophet Elisha, who had asked for a double portion of Elijah’s spirit. The windows of Lincoln College chapel c.1629 are the only complete set of windows remaining by Abraham van Linge, the finest glass-painter of his generation. Photo by Fr Lawrence Lew, O.P.; flickr
22 And she called unto her husband, and said, Send me, I pray thee, one of the young men, and one of the asses, that I may run to the man of God, and come again.
23 And he said, Wherefore wilt thou go to him to day? it is neither new moon, nor sabbath. And she said, It shall be well.
24 Then she saddled an ass, and said to her servant, Drive, and go forward; slack not thy riding for me, except I bid thee.
25 So she went and came unto the man of God to mount Carmel. And it came to pass, when the man of God saw her afar off, that he said to Gehazi his servant, Behold, yonder is that Shunammite:
26 Run now, I pray thee, to meet her, and say unto her, Is it well with thee? is it well with thy husband? is it well with the child? And she answered, It is well:
27 And when she came to the man of God to the hill, she caught him by the feet: but Gehazi came near to thrust her away. And the man of God said, Let her alone; for her soul is vexed within her: and the Lord hath hid it from me, and hath not told me.
28 Then she said, Did I desire a son of my lord? did I not say, Do not deceive me?
Gehazi attempts to awaken the son of the Sunammite woman with the staff of Elisha, engraving by Bernhard Rode before 1780; Wikipedia, CCL
29 Then he said to Gehazi, Gird up thy loins, and take my staff in thine hand, and go thy way: if thou meet any man, salute him not; and if any salute thee, answer him not again: and lay my staff upon the face of the child.
30 And the mother of the child said, As the Lord liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. And he arose, and followed her.
31 And Gehazi passed on before them, and laid the staff upon the face of the child; but there was neither voice, nor hearing. Wherefore he went again to meet him, and told him, saying, The child is not awaked.
32 And when Elisha was come into the house, behold, the child was dead, and laid upon his bed.
Elisha raising the Shunammites Son; Wikipedia CCL public domain
33 He went in therefore, and shut the door upon them twain, and prayed unto the Lord.
34 And he went up, and lay upon the child, and put his mouth upon his mouth, and his eyes upon his eyes, and his hands upon his hands: and stretched himself upon the child; and the flesh of the child waxed warm.
35 Then he returned, and walked in the house to and fro; and went up, and stretched himself upon him: and the child sneezed seven times, and the child opened his eyes.
36 And he called Gehazi, and said, Call this Shunammite. So he called her. And when she was come in unto him, he said, Take up thy son.
37 Then she went in, and fell at his feet, and bowed herself to the ground, and took up her son, and went out.
OBSERVE:
Take a moment and write three observations of the verses. What strikes you? An observation is an observable fact from the Word.
1.
2.
3.
INTERPRETATION:
What do you interpret these verses to mean for you today?
APPLY:
Today, I learned _____________________________________and apply it to my life.
Prayer of Encouragement
Almighty God, for all you do for us, we give you thanks. We pray for the kind of faith that the Shunammite woman had and Elisha had, when her son was raised from the dead. May our faith bring glory to your name. In Jesus name, Amen
Season of Lent Music
Name of Jesus – Chris Tomlin
There is Power in Your Name- Lincoln Brewster; Hillsong; Darlene Zschech
Season of Lent Humor
How’s Your Faith?
Jeff Larson. the backpew.com Used by permission
I hope you found a chance to encounter your Creator and experience the Love of God and the joy of Christ in this Season of Lent.
Conclusion
The Thirty-Fourth Day of Lent renews our vigor to pray and persist. God blessed the faith of the Shunammite woman. God has brought grace to all of us, as Ephesians says, so that we can be saved, and not that we should ever think it was because of something we can do. We succeed not because of our efforts, but because God is at work. We can’t take credit for the work that God does.
Sometimes, we ask for things to happen, but things don’t resolve until the eleventh hour. We then recognize it wasn’t because of our effort but because God worked all the things together at the right moment. Our faith must remain strong in the power of God’s grace.
Go out and be ready for God to do mighty things in your life.*
Thank you for visiting ChapLynne’s Daily Encouragement and Bible Study. Please like if it was meaningful. God bless you.
*If you do not know the Lord as your personal Savior and you are seeking, please contact me. A genuine and simple prayer, asking God into your heart for the forgiveness of your sins will also do.
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