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Do you remember the mama from 2 Kings who decided to open an Airbnb for Elisha? Elisha stayed at her house one day, and then he kept stopping over every time he was travelling for work, doing what prophets used to do in those days, which is everything.
Prophets were the Meteorological department. One was an athlete who outran a chariot (he also ran away from a woman’s threats and wanted to die, but that is not the story today.)They were the directors of Medical research and knew which river the sick had to dip themselves in and the exact dosage, which was seven times a dose of shame. They also doubled as heavenly military spies and would tell a king whether to attack or wait it out, feeding him direct info collected from the Lord Himself. They were quite awesome, but most kings who were not vibing with God didn’t like them much.
Anyway, back to the lady with Elisha’s BnB. As all wives still do, she told her husband, “This guy passes by a lot. He must be a man of God. So how about we add a ka-room upstairs for him.”
The husband said, “O.K.”
Three months later, he had not picked up a hammer. (OK, OK, this didn’t happen, but have you seen a husband who does anything at a wife’s first request?? Have you? They need to be reminded approximately 72 times every minute. And they still won’t do it until they see the now-very-mad wife crossing the living room carrying a drill.)
So eventually Chickita gets mad and picks up a saw and a claw hammer and starts building. Husband joins in, and together they build Elisha a room on their roof. They fully furnish it with a bed, a table, a chair and a lamp.
Today I was reading the story of this woman, and at some point I felt a little jealous of her. Elisha’s team warned her of a looming famine and advised her to leave before things became elephant. She was away for seven years, and when the famine was over, she arrived at the king’s palace just as Gehazi was bragging to the king about Elisha’s exploits — including the time Elisha brought a dead boy back to life. And there she was, Exhibit 1! Then the king gave back her land and every coin it had earned while she was away!
I mean, that sounds a lot like “small girl, big God” energy.
I like that! I want that!
Then I remembered.
She had no child for years, until Elisha showed up. And the son she finally got died. She held him on her lap from morning until noon, and then he died. That is deeply distressing. She laid him on Elisha’s bed, told everyone “It is well,” saddled a donkey and rode out to find the man of God, ready to say, “Did I ask you for a son?! Did I not tell you not to raise my hopes up! See now!” And remember, she did not know how the story would end. She just carried her grief straight to the right address.
Also, let’s be clear that the son was not payment for the upstairs room. When Elisha offered to put in a good word for her with the king, she said thanks, but she was fine among her own people. She never asked for any of it. God simply saw her.
She was also a foreigner in a new country for seven years. Things aligned for her in some ways, but her life was not without hard seasons. Even the word from God that saved her life did not spare her the displacement. She had quite a difficult life — but God always remembered her.
I realised, to my dismay, that I loved the good parts of her life and had not taken into account the hard seasons, the doubts, the tears! But she was one woman, held by one God, from the barren years to the palace steps.
Jesus Himself said that in this world we will have MANY troubles, but that we should take heart, because HE HAS OVERCOME THE WORLD.
So, small girl, big God energy is wonderful. But we should remember He is still a big, good, almighty God even when we’re facing famine and tears.
