RECLAIMING WHAT WAS LOST

The king asked the woman about it, and she told him. Then he assigned an official to her case and said to him, “Give back everything that belonged to her, including all the income from her land from the day she left the country until now.”- 2 KINGS 8:6

This story intrigues me. The story of the affluent Shunammite widow, described in 2 Kings 4:8–37, is one of hospitality personified. She was also rewarded by God with a child who died and then was restored. This was a woman who had seen God’s power on display. When the Lord declared a famine in the land, Elisha told this woman and her family to move to Philistine territory for seven years. During those years, there are no mentions regarding her life or whereabouts.

After the famine ended, she returned with the purpose of pleading with the King to return her land and home. I love how the Lord directs the steps of his people because Gehazi mentioned her narrative to the King right as she was walking in. It was not a coincidence; it was a divinely appointed moment. God was going to perform a miracle, and he had perfectly placed the people at the right place to birth his plan for this family.

The Shunammite woman was given instructions and as a result of her obedience, she was preserved and restored. To navigate our lives successfully, we must follow God’s directions. Our God, the King of Kings, has a clear vision for our life and what he plans to achieve through us. Be encouraged, adjust your lenses, and you will see all the miracles clearly; God is still working, changing lives and situations.

Thank you, Heavenly Father, for giving me hope again through the Shunammite woman’s life story. Please give me the confidence to believe that all will work out as long as I hold onto hope – that your will, purpose, and plan for my life and family is good and will give us a hope and a future.

Throughout this Day: Do you believe in miracles? Let this wonderful song from Elevation Worship and Maverick City

New Mercies Every Morning

God’s faithfulness in caring for us changes everything.

Lamentations 3:22-23

The prophet Jeremiah knew the sorrow of a dark night. He’s often called the weeping prophet because of the tears he cried over the destruction of Jerusalem and the sinfulness of her people. But even in his sorrow, Jeremiah was able to hold on to hope. He remained confident that both God’s people and the city of Jerusalem would be restored, thanks to the Father’s faithfulness and unending mercy.

For Jeremiah, confidence stemmed from trusting in God, and the same can be true for us. No matter what difficulties arise, we have God’s promise that He is faithful to care for us. That promise changes everything—trusting in God’s faithfulness and mercy allows us to cling to unwavering hope for the future.

Jesus’ words in Matthew 6:30-32 underscore Jeremiah’s heart cry: “Do not worry then, saying, ‘What are we to eat?’ or ‘What are we to drink?’ or ‘What are we to wear for clothing?’ …for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.” God is fully aware of our needs and will be faithful to meet them. His mercies are available to us every single day. Let’s be deliberate about leaning into those mercies, as Jeremiah was. And we, too, can look forward to experiencing confidence and peace.

A Pleasing Sacrifice

I am well supplied, having received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent, a fragrant offering, a sacrifice pleasing to God.

Philippians 4:18

Here is an amazing notion when you pause to consider it: you are able to bring God pleasure.

It is a mind-blowing thought: that our Creator would be pleased by our actions. Yet Scripture encourages us to see that this is a reality. As Christians, we strive to live under the smile of our heavenly Father. One of the great biblical motivators for obeying God is that the way we live can “please God … more and more” (1 Thessalonians 4:1)—and one of the ways we can do this is through our generous giving, which is “a sacrifice pleasing to God.”

Paul described the giving of the Philippian church in terminology that reflected the Old Testament practice of animal sacrifice. When God’s people in the Old Testament brought their burnt offerings, the burning of incense accompanied these sacrifices. Therefore, the sacrifice produced an attractive smell. In some sense, this represented the acceptability and sweetness of the offering in God’s sight. In the same way, God says to His people in the first century and in the twenty-first, When your giving comes from a heart that is in tune with Mine, it produces a beautiful aroma, and your sacrifice brings Me pleasure.

When considering this kind of giving, we should not pass over the word “sacrifice” too quickly. Sacrificial giving is not necessarily the same as generous giving. It is quite possible for us to be generous—as, in fact, many believers are—without feeling an impact on our lives or circumstances.

In making this same point for His disciples, Jesus drew their attention to a poor widow as she was putting her tithe into the offering box in the temple. As He watched this woman deposit two copper coins, which were worth next to nothing, and compared them with the gifts of the rich people near her, He said, “This poor widow has put in more than all of them. For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on” (Luke 21:2-4). The wealthy were generous; the widow was sacrificial. She gave up in order to give away. And her Lord noticed and was pleased by what He saw.

We are not by nature sacrificial givers. But the whole Christian journey—in receiving and in giving, in caring and in sharing—is filled with grace from start to finish. When we give sacrificially from a heart that desires to please God, He promises to “supply every need … according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19). It is reflecting on all that God has given, and all that God is giving, and all that God will give, that unlocks our hearts and enables us to give both sacrificially and joyfully. And when we do so, we bring God pleasure.

The Philippians’ actions, and their bank statements, showed that they truly believed this. To what extent do yours?