God Never Wastes Our Faith
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We have all had times in our Christian lives when we’ve hoped for something that did not materialize, set a goal that was defeated, or dreamed big – only to be discouraged by overwhelming circumstances. We dug a ditch and waited, but it wasn’t filled with water.
Disappointment happens to all of us eventually, throwing us into a faith battle asking the question why bother to believe?
Fortunately, the experience of the prophet Elisha and the Shunamite woman gives us an example to follow for what to do when disappointment tries to pull us back from our faith.
A Bit of Background
In this account, a wealthy Shunammite woman had a chance encounter with the man of God, and “persuaded” him to come to her house to eat.
“Now it happened one day that Elisha went to Shunem, where there was a notable woman, and she persuaded him to eat some food. So it was, as often as he passed by, he would turn in there to eat some food” (2 Kings 4:8).
Apparently, Elisha’s initial response was reluctance, perhaps trying to politely turn down the invitation without being rude. After all, was she a good cook? Or worse, was she an unstable kook?
Somehow she persuaded him to come, and this chance meeting turned into a long-term friendship. So much so, that every time Elisha was in town, he stopped by for a meal and some fellowship. Apparently, she turned out to be both a great cook and not a kook. And she was generous and kingdom-minded:
“… she said to her husband, ‘Look now, I know that this is a holy man of God, who passes by us regularly. Please, let us make a small upper room on the wall; and let us put a bed for him there, and a table and a chair and a lampstand; so it will be, whenever he comes to us, he can turn in there’” (2 Kings 4:9-10).
In other words, this wealthy woman wanted to be a blessing to the man of God. It was a wise decision, because anytime we put the kingdom of God at the top of our priority list, we are setting ourselves up for God’s blessing! As Jesus declared:
“But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you” (Matthew 6:33).
And so it happened for the woman and her husband.
“And it happened one day that he came there, and he turned in to the upper room and lay down there. Then he said to Gehazi his servant, ‘Call this Shunammite woman.’ When he had called her, she stood before him. And he said to him, ‘Say now to her, ‘Look, you have been concerned for us with all this care. What can I do for you? Do you want me to speak on your behalf to the king or to the commander of the army?’” (2 Kings 4:11-13).
She hadn’t asked for a reciprocal blessing, but when we put God’s kingdom first in our finances, when we live to be a blessing to others, we put into motion the Law of Sowing and Reaping, which causes God’s blessings to pursue us.
Here the prophet was thinking about how he could bless her for her goodness to him and his servant. But notice her strange reply:
“She answered, ‘I dwell among my own people’” (2 Kings 4:13).
My translation: Thank you, but I’m good. I have all I need, and I’m just blessed to be a blessing! I didn’t give to get something from you, but because I recognize that all that I have has come from the gracious hand of God that we serve.
But Elisha was determined, and eventually called his servant:
“So he said, ‘What then is to be done for her?’ And Gehazi answered, ‘Actually, she has no son, and her husband is old.’ So he said, ‘Call her.’ When he had called her, she stood in the doorway. Then he said, ‘About this time next year you shall embrace a son.’ And she said, ‘No, my lord. Man of God, do not lie to your maidservant!’” (2 Kings 4:1-16).
Resurrecting a Buried Dream
I believe her reaction to this prophetic word of blessing indicates that she had learned to live with deeply buried disappointment. She must have tried to conceive a baby, but it didn’t work. Probably she had prayed and believed, but not received a miracle. So she buried the pain and tried to move on.
But when we put God first in our lives, He can resurrect even those dead dreams we have given up on due to disappointment. Remember:
“Delight yourself also in the Lord, And He shall give you the desires of your heart” (Psalm 37:4).
So despite her surprise and objection “…the woman conceived, and bore a son when the appointed time had come, of which Elisha had told her” (2 Kings 4:17).
But the story doesn’t end after the woman received a miracle child by the word of God, when they were past their prime.
“And the child grew. Now it happened one day that he went out to his father, to the reapers. And he said to his father, ‘My head, my head!’ So he said to a servant, ‘Carry him to his mother.’ When he had taken him and brought him to his mother, he sat on her knees till noon, and then died. And she went up and laid him on the bed of the man of God, shut the door upon him, and went out. Then she called to her husband, and said, ‘Please send me one of the young men and one of the donkeys, that I may run to the man of God and come back’” (2 Kings 4:18-22).
More than likely, she suddenly experienced the buried pain of disappointment come rushing back in greater than ever. To her credit, she saddled up her donkey and went to find the prophet. When she saw him, she fell at his feet crying out in her grief:
“Did I ask a son of my lord? Did I not say, ‘Do not deceive me’?” (2 Kings 4:28).
She may as well have said, I had learned to live with the disappointment, and now, here I am again.
Even as things were generally going well, she experienced sudden pain and disappointment, because there is an adversary against us in this world (John 10:10). And like her, we too will at times suffer unexpected setbacks and disappointments, even as we are progressing and our lives generally improve. So what do you do when such disappointment beckons you to pull back your faith and stop seeking God’s kingdom first in your life?
1. Realize That God Is for You
The woman’s question to Elisha was more like an accusation: what kind of God gives a promise to a person and then lets the promise die?
It was a natural question that we all ask when disappointment sets in while following God and living a life of faith. But the most sinister trick the enemy does is to make you think that what he does is actually from God’s hand.
Remember Peter said, “think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which has come to try your faith” (1 Peter 4:12). Even though we know this, the enemy has a way of getting us to point the finger at God instead of remembering that God is for us. But the devil is a liar!
“If God be for us, who can be against us” (Romans 8:31).
“The Lord is on my side; I will not fear: what can man do unto me?” (Psalm 118:6).
Don’t buy the lie that the devil’s work creating pain and disappointment is God’s doing. If it steals, kills or destroys – it’s the enemy.
2. Remember God Never Wastes Our Faith
“You number my wanderings; Put my tears into Your bottle; Are they not in Your book?” (Psalm 56:8).
If He is collecting our tears, He will not waste our faith! Matter of fact, I believe God collects our faith in a “heavenly trust fund”!
Wikipedia says a “trust” is a relationship whereby property (real or personal, tangible or intangible) is held by one party for the benefit of another. A trust fund holds money aside for an individual until he or she reaches a certain age. And when the beneficiary reaches that age, a trustee is responsible for making sure the beneficiary receives what has been held in trust for him or her.
Here is what I’ve come to believe: God has established heavenly trust funds for each of us. He governs every deposit of faith we make, and knows exactly when every benefit needs to be released in our lives.
And our deed to this trust is the Word of God which gives us great and precious promises that have already been agreed upon as “yes and amen.”
So when the devil blocks and tries to stop us, and we’re tempted to let discouragement set in, I believe that it’s just an investment in our heavenly trust fund that will pay off when our Trustee releases the benefits. And the benefits are amazing!
“Bless the Lord, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless His holy name! Bless the Lord, O my soul, And forget not all His benefits: Who forgives all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases, Who redeems your life from destruction, Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies, Who satisfies your mouth with good things, So that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s. The Lord executes righteousness and justice for all who are oppressed” (Psalm 103:1-6).
So we have a choice: believe the devil’s discouragement and setbacks, or choose to believe that God is not wasting our faith, but rather depositing it in our heavenly trust fund.
The Shunamite woman choose to believe God would not and could not waste her faith!
Instead of digging a hole and burying the child, she laid the child on the bed of the man of God, as if to say, God, here is my faith deposit. Put it in Your trust account while I go and get the man of God so we can come back and ask for a benefit withdrawal!
This remarkable woman had gone from being too afraid to dream again, to being determined that the same God who gave her the promise was able to resurrect the promise.
3. God Is Full of Surprises
“When Elisha came into the house there was the child, lying dead on his bed. He went in therefore, shut the door behind the two of them, and prayed to the Lord…” (2 Kings 4:32).
Even if the enemy has stepped in your way and destroyed your marriage or business, attacked your health or caused chaos in your life, and you’re at the end of your rope – don’t give up! It may not end the way you thought, but God will bring good out of it. It’s a promise!
“And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28).
So even if all seems lost, God’s full of surprises! I can’t promise you how your situation will end but this I know, He will not waste your faith!
The Shunamite woman’s experience demonstrates that even though we may not see how, God can turn all situations around.
“So she went in, fell at his feet, and bowed to the ground (overwhelmed with gratitude); then she picked up her son and went out” (2 Kings 4:37).
Friends, you may have been disappointed, you may have felt your prayers weren’t answered, but God is greater than your disappointment. Even before your disappointment happened, He had plans to resurrect your dreams and launch you into your destiny!
Photo credit: ©Getty Images/Fizkes
