(Excerpt from Pastor’s book, ‘How to Get a Grip on God’s Promises”)
The promise of a son was spoken the Shunammite woman. The next thing that happened was the promise came to pass. God’s Word worked because that Word was spoken. By a miracle of God a child was born to a couple who had been unable to have children. The promise was given and the promise came to pass. I would like to stop right there and be able to say that they lived happily ever after, but I must give you the whole story. In Second Kings 4:18-22, “And when the child was grown, it fell on a day, that he went out to his father to the reapers. And he said unto his father, My head, my head. And he said to a lad, Carry him to his mother. And 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, and shut the door upon him, and went out. 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.”
How could a promise from God come to pass and yet end up being stolen? A thief became involved and the promise was stolen because their son dies. There are a lot of things being stolen in lives today. There are probably some areas in your life where the enemy has tried to steal from you.
When you hear some people talk, God gets blamed for everything bad. God gets blamed for tornados, car wrecks, cancer, and for all kinds of catastrophes. In fact, people blame God for the most terrible things that happen on the face of the earth. Let me share some truths with you, from John 10:10. Jesus said, “The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.” Many people become disillusioned when the thief steals from them, because when something good gets stolen from them, they begin to doubt God. We can relate to people who have bad things happen to them. We do not doubt the sincerity and faith of someone who goes through difficult times. We need to keep it straight in our thinking that the devil is the thief, not God. God is the one who gives life.
We came home from church one night to our former house. My wife, Joy, had been speaking to the ladies and I was out running errands. When we came home, there was an unfamiliar odor in our house. That was not the only thing that was different, when I entered the kitchen I saw two cans of beer and I knew that something was wrong. Joy looked at me and I looked at Joy, and I said, “Somebody has been in our house.” We went through our house and everything was upside down, drawers were emptied and everything of value was gone. It is a strange feeling when your home has been broken into. Men take these things differently than women do, we want to get revenge. We want to do something. We want to help God, but in Romans 12:19 it reads, “Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.”
We had a couple with us that night and they said, “Well, let’s just praise the Lord!” My flesh did not like it, but I knew it was right. I knew we needed to thank God that no one was hurt and things can be replaced. I was not in the mood to praise the Lord, but I did it anyway.
There is something more important than protecting your valuables and that is protecting the blessing of God on your life. Even when it looks like the thief has stolen your blessing, keep a grip on God’s promise. In 2 Kings four the promised son died but the Shunammite woman kept hold of her faith, refused to act in fear, and she saw her son returned to life. When this woman’s blessing seemed to be unraveling, she had to get a grip on the promise of God. Satan wants to steal your gifts, your visions, your dreams. If you have a business, do not be naïve about it. Satan would like to steal the business. You do not have to let him do it. Do not turn loose of your faith and you will come out on the high side of victory.