41 WHOEVER (Universal Promise given by the Lord Himself) WELCOMES A PROPHET WILL RECEIVE A PROPHET’S REWARD, AND WHOEVER WELCOMES A RIGHTEOUS PERSON WILL RECEIVE A RIGHTEOUS PERSON’S REWARD. Matthew 10
We were looking yesterday at how a wealthy Shunammite woman invited the prophet Elisha to stop at her home for something to eat and then, with her husband’s approval, she built the prophet a room on the roof of their house. This happened over a period of time and I felt that we need to use wisdom and be cautious about people we invite into our homes and lives.
The Shunammite woman had tapped into a Kingdom Principle that would later be confirmed by the Messiah Himself, ‘Blessing God’s servants releases the blessing of God into our own lives’. She blessed Elisha and his servant by meeting their temporal needs, food and lodging, but God’s blessings were to come back to her in different ways and the same may be true for us today.
22 The blessing of the Lord brings wealth,
and He adds no trouble to it. Proverbs 10
Elisha decided it was time to repay this woman for her service to him and he called her to ask what he could do for her and although he offered to intercede for her with the king, she didn’t claim that right. Even though the prophet offered her something it wasn’t what she needed at the time. God has placed hidden desires in our hearts which we may not be aware of, but He can reveal them and bless in ways we never expected. Selah – pause and consider! What are the desires of our hearts and is it time for God to begin to reveal and answer these?
14 ‘What can be done for her?’ Elisha asked.
Gehazi said, ‘She has no son, and her husband is old.’
15 Then Elisha said, ‘Call her.’ So he called her, and she stood in the doorway. 16 ‘About this time next year,’ Elisha said, ‘you will hold a son in your arms.’
‘No, my lord!’ she objected. ‘Please, man of God, don’t mislead your servant!’ 2 Kings 4
The woman was shocked by the words of the prophet, she may have given up all hope of ever having a son, but all her kindness was about to be repaid by the birth of a boy. The prophet had spoken of something that was deep inside her and a blessing that she’d not dared to hope for soon came to pass. Sometimes faithfully serving the work of the Lord that comes to us can eventually result in great benefits in our own lives. The Shunammite continued to bless Elisha whenever he called at her home and the room she made was for him alone, no one else stayed there.
May the Lord bless you and give you the deepest longings of your heart today. Immanuel, God is with us.