Move-In Ready
Praise the Lord, I am in my final semester of school! The books, the papers, the homework … I am in the home stretch. My classes have been rich in history, both the ancient history of the patriarchs and the modern history of revivals and awakenings of the 18th-19th centuries. This learning has enriched my understanding of the Bible and also impacted my Christian life. I have a deeper longing for God’s presence and power, and I pray for God to awaken His church and draw people to Christ. My prayer, however, is for more than a visitation of God.
The prophet Elisha is a major character of the book of 2 Kings. He was working for his father when he responded to God’s call and became Elijah’s servant. And when Elijah was taken to heaven in a whirlwind, Elisha received a double portion of Elijah’s giftings, became God’s mouthpiece to Israel, and performed twice as many miracles, including raising a dead man back to life, though he himself was also dead! (2 Kings 13:20-21).
In his travels, Elisha frequently passed through the village of Shunem in Northern Israel, approximately halfway between Mt. Carmel and the Jordan River. Shunem was home to a wealthy and influential woman.
One day Elisha went to Shunem. And a well-to-do woman was there, who urged him to stay for a meal. So whenever he came by, he stopped there to eat. She said to her husband, “I know that this man who often comes our way is a holy man of God. Let’s make a small room on the roof and put in it a bed and a table, a chair and a lamp for him. Then he can stay there whenever he comes to us.” (2 Kings 4:8-10 NIV)
Not only was this woman wealthy and influential, but she was also wise and insightful. She recognized that Elisha was a special servant of Yahweh, and she wanted him to stay at her house instead of merely stopping by for a meal. She knew the room had to be nice for Elisha, properly furnished and well-appointed. It had to be clean, comfortable, even beautiful. So she talked to her husband, contracted the labor, added on a room to their house, and furnished it.
It became “Elisha’s Room.” When the prophet passed through Shunem, he stayed in his room. The room was big enough to accommodate Elisha and his servant and was so lovely that he thanked the Shunammite woman for going “to all this trouble for us” (2 Kings 4:13 NIV). The Shunammite woman recognized the Spirit of God in Elisha. The anointing of the Holy Spirit and the call of God were evident on this holy man. Though providing a meal and spending an evening with Elisha was good, the woman wanted more. She was not content with Elisha stopping by; she wanted him to stay.
The room prepared for Elisha sounds like a stark contrast to my experience at the Four Seasons. Recently, my husband and I travelled to Colorado to visit our daughter in a tiny mining town in the San Juan Mountains. It’s beautiful but very remote. Visitors flock there in the summer, more than quadrupling the regular population, to fish the Rio Grande, hike, and see shows in the historic Creede Repertory Theater. Because our trip was rather spontaneous, we had to find lodging outside of town. Yes, we ended up at the Four Seasons, but not the good one. Actually, the full name was the “Four Seasons Lodge.” Let’s just say that it was less than stellar. It was a place where you sleep without moving, hoping to just hover and not touch anything while also preventing anything from touching you! We were happy to check out and do not anticipate a repeat visit.
Some places are fine for a quick stop, but other places make you want to stay. As I pray for God to again pour out His Spirit to awaken and revive, I do not want Him to come to visit, but to stay. Indeed, I am not praying for a mere visitation, but rather a habitation. I pray that my heart will be prepared not for God to visit or to stop by for a time, but be ready for God to move in and stay through all “four seasons!”
What would happen if we all responded to the Holy Spirit’s call to prepare room in our hearts for Him to stay? What if we made space through repentance, prayer, and time reading His word? How would our lives change if His presence was not a temporary feeling, but a habitual residence? May we all make ready our hearts to be more than a stopping place, but a dwelling place for God.