Sermon Central
-
Lessons From The Shunammite Mother
Contributed by Stan Szelkowski on May 10, 2007 (message contributor)
Summary: Learning the lesson of persistence from the Shunammite mother. A Mother’s Day Message.
“Lessons from the
Shunammite Mother”
Intro: Lessons from my Mother
- We are going to learn some lessons from the Shunammite mother
- Give the background from II Kings 4:8-17
- Read II Kings 4:18-37
The Shunammite mother refused to give up vs. 18-22
She refused to give up when their was NO hope…
- When her son died, she placed him on Elisha’s bed
- She went out looking for the “Man of God”
> She was NOT looking for him to perform a funeral!
- Mother’s, what have you been asking of God for your children?
- Does it seem beyond hope for an answer?
- Are you ready to give up? Have you given up?
- Learn a lesson from the Shunammite mother
> Someone once said that persistence is like wrestling a gorilla. You
don’t give up when you get tired. You give up when the gorilla gets
tired!
The Shunammite mother refused to be deterred vs. 23-26
She refused to be deterred or detained…
- She would not be deterred by her husband
> Her husband had already resigned himself to the boy’s death
> Her husband saw no pressing reason to go to the man of God
- She would not be detained by the servant
- She would neither be deterred nor detained by Gehazi, Elisha’s
servant
> She answered, “Everything is all right” = “shalom”
(“shalom is a standard Hebrew greeting like “hello” or “hi”)
> “Everything is all right” can be otherwise translated, “Hello. Now
get out of my way! I’m going to talk to the man!!!”
> Creation tells us, “Don’t mess with a mother bear when it comes to
her cubs!”
> Common sense tells us, “Don’t mess with a mother when it comes
to her children!”
- Mothers, have you allowed situations or people to deter or detain
you when it comes to seeking the best for your children?
- Mothers, have you allowed situations or people to deter or detain
you when it comes to your prayers for your children?
The Shunammite mother refused to let go vs. 27-30
She refused to let go until she had received an answer to her request…
(She even refused to let go until her request was granted!)
- Coming to Elisha, she grabbed his feet and wouldn’t let go!
> Talk about a “helicopter parent,” she was the ultimate!
- Why his feet?
> This would be natural if she were submitting to him
> This would be natural if she were begging him because she was in
deep distress
> This would be natural if she wanted to keep him from going
anywhere until her request was granted
- She refused to leave his presence
> Notice her words, ”As surely as the Lord lives, and as you live”
> To her the fact that there was a living God, was a “sure” thing, even
as sure as the fact that Elisha was alive
> She believed this living God could give life again to her son!
- Mothers, have you “taken hold of God” in prayer for the wellbeing of
your children, even when the situation appears hopeless?
- Have you refused to let go of Him until he answers?
> You say this is preposterous?
> Read Matt 15:21-28
The Shunammite mother received her request vs. 31-37
Because she refused to give up, refused to be deterred, and refused to let go, the Shunammite mother received what she asked for…
- We won’t always receive what we ask for, but could it be that
sometimes we don’t receive it because we fail to persist?
Application
The lessons fromthe Shunammite mother teach us that God will honor our persistence for our children, particularly our persistence in prayer. We must refuse to give up, even if there appears to be no hope. We must refuse to be deterred or detained from prayer. And, we must refuse to let go of God when we are waiting for His answer.
