Uncovering the Untold Secrets of The Shunammite Woman

In II Kings 4:8-37 we read the account of woman called the Shunammite. I’m not too crazy about the fact that her actual name isn’t written, but the Bible does say that she was wealthy, so a least that’s good. The story goes on to say that when she saw Elisha passing through town with his servant, she offered them food and fed them. It goes on further to say that she said to her husband, “I know this holy man of God who is continually passing our way. Let us make a room for him on the roof…and whenever he comes to us, he can go in there. (She was the first Air BnB Superhost!)
One day while Elisha was resting at her groovy Bed and Breakfast, he told his servant, Gehazi, “Go call the Shunammite and say to her, "You’ve gone to all this trouble for me, what can I do for you?” Whereupon she answered, “I have a home among my own people.” Translation: “Nah, I’m good.”  Gehazi chimes in, “Well, she has no son and her husband is old.”  So they call her and declare to her, “At this time next year, you will have a son.” She says something like, “Don’t lie to me.” Or, “Don’t get my hopes up,” but she conceives and at that same time the following year she did have a son.
The boy grows and he’s out with his father harvesting grain when he suddenly cries, “My head, my head!” The father says, “Carry him in to his mother.” (I’m not impressed with this dad.) Then the Shunammite lifts him onto her lap and at noontime he dies. Here’s where it gets interesting.
She takes the boy up and lays him on Elisha’s bed and closes the door. Then she tells her husband, “Saddle me a donkey, I need to see the man of God.” He says, “Why do you need to see him? It’s not a new moon or a Sabbath.” This guy isn’t tuned in at all, and she doesn’t have time to explain. “All is well,” she says. Immediately she sets out for Mount Carmel where Elisha lives. According to Google Maps, this is about twenty miles away. The donkey must’ve taken all day to go twenty miles.
When Elisha sees her coming, he tells his servant, “Look, there’s the Shunammite. Run to meet her and ask her if everything is okay with her family?” She answers the servant, “All is well.” Maybe she knew it was the fastest way to see Elisha…no small talk. She get to Elisha, she gets down, grabs his feet and says, “I didn’t ask you for a son. I told you not to lie to me!”
Elisha sends Gehazi. He orders him to go to the child and put his staff on the boys face. The Shunammite says, “Fine, but I will not leave you, Elisha.”  Gehazi goes and tries the staff but nothing happens, so he returns. “He didn’t wake up.”
Elisha goes to the house, he went up to the room, shuts the door and begins to pray. I imagine Elisha was moved intensely in his mind and emotions. The Bible says, he lay on the boy’s dead body. He put his mouth on his mouth, his eyes on his eyes, his hands on his hands. Elisha he got up again and walked around, and then he again stretched out on the boy. The boy sneezed seven times, and then opened his eyes. He told Gehazi, “Call the Shunammite,” and then, “Pick up your son.” She fell at Elisha’s feet, bowing, and then she picked up her son and went out.
There are some important lessons we can learn from this woman. Here are a few of them:
She was alert.
She was confident.
She was walked in authority and humility at the same time.
She was secure. She knew who she was.
She was helpful. She did what she could with what she had.
She was content.
She was compassionate.
She was generous.
She was peaceful.
She was tenacious.
She was grateful.
She was alert. This woman noticed that the man of God passed through her town, she figured her was hungry and she had nice food. She paid attention. This is a valuable quality and is the opposite from being self-absorbed. Note: assume people are hungry and tired.
She was confident..she knew who she was. She had authority in her house. Her house was her jurisdiction. Your kitchen table is your platform. You have authority and anointing there.
She was secure enough to offer help. She wasn’t insecure.
She wasn’t nervous about her abilities. She showed compassion towards Elisha. She inconvenienced her self to serve the prophet in a somewhat natural way, she poised herself to receive a miracle. God is looking for people both man and women who will be like Moses and use, “what’s in your hand.” She opened her opening her home, her wallet her kitchen… she used her gifts.The Lord will show up when you open your life. This poised her for the miraculous. She had her sleeves rolled up! 
She was content. When asked, “How can we help you?” She didn’t immediately see this as an opportunity to serve herself. No doubt she had sought pregnancy with tears. I know I did. 
Like Deborah, she isn’t listed as a mother. 
She wasn’t defined by the pain of her infertility.
She’s peaceful. When  the unthinkable happens, the death of her son, she remains in faith. “All is well,” She tells her husband and Gehazi. She keeps her cool. She stays in faith. 
She isn’t intimidated by Elisha. I believe that she and Elisha…they were kindred spirits. Her had transferred his anointing to her while sitting at her table over all those dinners, Elisha kindled faith in the Shunammite. Maybe he became her informal mentor. Personally, I think formal mentors are hard to come by, especially for women. 
“What would Elisha do?” she wondered. Sometimes we study the lives of faith-filled people and they teach us by their example. I believe Elisha and the Shunammite were friends and that he taught her through their conversations.  Who might you be able to teach over food and friendship? Then again, who can you be mentored by?
The Shunammite was tenacious. She rode that donkey to Elisha and she refused to leave him. In the same way Elisha refused to leaved Elijah before he was taken up in the chariot of fire, she would not be dissuaded. “I will not leave you.” Forget it. (II Kings 2:11,12)
We see this same resolute tenacity in Elisha when he prays for her son. He was brave and determined.
He wasn’t technically allowed by Jewish law to lay on her dead son.
Laying on a dead thing was forbidden
He got tired. He got off the boy and walked around.
He went back. He got a renewed vision
God want to renew your vision for the impossible
Your eyes: stay focussed on the vision
Your mouth: Say what God says about your situation
Your hands: Keep sowing, stay engaged, stay diligent to see what god has promised come to pass.
Finally, she was grateful. When the boy came back to life, she bowed in worship before she picked up her son. 
What’s your baby? Your dream? Does it seem impossible? Does it seem dead?
Your baby could be a literal child or it could be a dream that God put in your heart. A business, An education, your marriage, your children or  another relationship. 
Maybe God is calling you to get back on that dream and to breathe new life into it. Put your hand to it, speak life into it. Believe again.
Maybe it wasn’t for that previous time, maybe its for now. God wants you to leave a legacy of faith. He wants you to set in motion a heritage of faith for your natural and spiritual children.
There are many aspects of this woman’s mindset that we can learn from. And you, my dear one, live in the new Covenant! You have the power of the Holy Spirit resident in you! You have Jesus seated at the right hand of God to intercede for you. (Romans 8:34)
God is calling us to see where there are needs, do what we can and then to prayerfully see where he is inviting us to partner with him to see the miraculous come to pass in the situations all around us! 
The Miraculous is Possible.

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