(Excerpt from Pastor’s book, “How to Get a Grip on God’s Promises”)
In 2 Kings 4 there is a story about a woman who provided a room for the Prophet Elisha. She furnished it with a candlestick, bed, and a desk. You hear this sometimes referred to as a “prophet’s chamber.” The room was a place for the prophet to stay when he came through the land. The Word of God says that she perceived that he was a holy man and that she wanted to help him. By providing Elisha with a room the woman positioned herself to receive a blessing. The idea that we can position ourselves for the blessing of God is a truth that is becoming stronger in my heart every day. You do not have enough money to buy the blessings of God, but we position ourselves by our giving, by our faith, and by our obedience to God to receive God’s best.
For this reason, Elisha had it in his heart to bless her. One day Elisha sent his servant to find out if there was anything that the woman needed. Do you need me to speak to the king for you? What kind of a favor do you need? She did not express any specific needs to him, but the prophet found out that she did not have any children. Then the prophet of God said in 2 Kings 4:16, “About this season, according to the time of life, thou shalt embrace a son. And she said, Nay, my lord, thou man of God, do not lie unto thine handmaid.”
At that point in her life, the idea of having children seemed preposterous to her. It is another one of those stories like Zachariah and Elizabeth or Abraham and Sarah, couples who were unable to have children. Her husband was old and when she said, “. . . do not lie . . .” she was not making fun of the prophet of God. She just said, “Prophet of God, you do not understand how impossible this is.” But the Bible said in verse 17, “. . . the woman conceived, and bare a son at that season that Elisha had said unto her, according to the time of life.”
Your Bible is a book of promises. When I was a boy in Sunday school we used to sing “Every promise in the Book is mine; every chapter, every verse, every line.” It was a song that appealed for us to have a simple childlike faith. Somewhere along the way, someone may have told you, “You cannot believe like that.” I want to tell you that every promise in the Book is yours – every chapter, every verse and every line. And if you will believe it and if you will obey it, it shall come to pass.