A Well-to-Do Woman

I have a friend or two who is looking for a well-to-do woman. Also some who are looking for well-to-do men! But this is not e-Harmony, so if that's what you're after you might want to look elsewhere!

The Bible talks about a well-to-do woman in 2 Kings 8. This morning, as I read that chapter, two verses seemed to push their way into the front of my brain:

1. "Go away with your family and stay for a while wherever you can, because the Lord has decreed a famine in the land that will last seven years."
2. "Give back everything that belonged to her, including all the income from her land from the day she left the country until now."

We were first introduced to this woman in 2 Kings 4, where we find her: supporting the work of the man of God, becoming a mother at an improbable time (She was married to an older man so in her culture this represented security for her.), trusting God in the darkest hour of her life (the death of her son), receiving back her son from death.

Later, God in his concern for her - through the prophet Elisha - provided for her and her family and protected her from the famine. Then he arranged the circumstances around her return and her request for the king to restore her land. Through the king, God gave her back her land and even all the income from it - not just the owner's portion, but all of it. God stirred the heart of the king to assign an official to her to ensure that his decree was fulfilled.

Consider the very real possibility that had she stayed on her land she might very well have lost the land permanently during the famine. Instead, she trusted God and left all her wealth in His hands. She abandoned her land and her claim on it, the safety and security of it. When she returned, she did so in humility - without any claim other than mercy: she begged.

When faced with a setback, remember the well-to-do woman of Shunem! God did not forget her and he will not forget you!

How old will you be in seven years?