—2 Kings 4:26
A boy old enough to help with the harvest but too young to handle the harsh heat of the sun—what desperation the woman must have felt as she helplessly watched her son die in her arms!
Hiding the news from the household and even from her husband, she turned to Elisha for help even though he was miles away. Elisha’s heart went out to her in her grief.
When Elisha traveled to her home, he asked God to bring the boy back to life. Though we aren’t told why Elisha stretched himself out over the boy, perhaps God used this method to transfer the power of life through Elisha into the child. Another child had also been restored this way through Elijah (see 1 Kings 17:17-22).
What a compelling story! But notice something that may be even more compelling—the words the woman spoke twice: “Everything is all right.” In Hebrew she was saying, “Shalom.” In spite of the death in her arms, in spite of her grief and loss, she was able to say, “Everything is all right.”
In our lives too, everything is all right when we know that all our grief and sorrow can be placed in the hands of our Savior, who exchanged his life for ours so that death could be defeated once and for all.
Is everything all right with you?
Dear Jesus, thank you for taking our grief and heavy bur-dens onto yourself and carrying them for us. Thank you that because of you, everything is all right. Amen.
About the author — Thea Leunk
Thea Nyhoff Leunk has been a high school English teacher, a director of Christian education, a pastor of discipleship, and a regional coach for the Christian Reformed Church in North America. She is currently the senior pastor at Eastern Avenue Christian Reformed Church, Grand Rapids, Michigan. Thea has also written courses for teens and young adults on world religions, Christian faith traditions, and science and the Bible. She and her husband have three adult children.
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