Monday Memo 1275: Fight for What God Gave You

The Shunammite Woman — 2 Kings 4:8–37

The Shunammite woman first appears in Scripture as a woman of means who recognized that Elisha was a man of God. She regularly provided him with a meal when he passed through her town and then proposed to her husband that they build a small room for him. She saw something God was doing and used what she had to support it.

Elisha wanted to repay her kindness, but she didn't seem to want anything. When Gehazi pointed out that she had no son and her husband was old, Elisha announced that within a year she would have a son. Instead of immediately celebrating, she responded, “No, my lord! … Please, man of God, don't mislead your servant!” (2 Kings 4:16). Perhaps she had once hoped for a child but had long since put that hope away. Whatever the case, God gave her something she hadn't asked Elisha to give her.

THEN IT DIED

Years later, the boy went out to his father in the fields, complained about his head, and was carried home to his mother. She held him until noon, when he died. Something God had unexpectedly given her was suddenly gone, but she didn't organize a funeral or immediately conclude that God had taken back what He had given. She carried the boy upstairs, laid him on Elisha's bed, and went looking for the prophet.

There's an important purpose lesson here. Sometimes something connected to your purpose seems to die. A creative project stalls, a ministry loses momentum, a business struggles, or an opportunity disappears. At that point, it's easy to spiritualize our disappointment and say, Well, I suppose God has closed that door. Perhaps He has, but perhaps He hasn't. Don't pronounce something dead simply because it has become difficult.

SHE WOULDN'T LEAVE

When the Shunammite woman reached Elisha, Gehazi tried to stop her, but she grabbed the prophet's feet. Elisha then sent Gehazi ahead with his staff and instructions to place it on the boy, but that wasn't enough for her:

“As surely as the Lord lives and as you live, I will not leave you.” So he got up and followed her (2 Kings 4:30).

I like this woman. She knew what she wanted, knew whom she needed, and refused to be diverted. She wasn't satisfied with Elisha's staff or his assistant. She had come for Elisha, and she wasn't going home without him.

There are times when you need that same attitude toward your purpose, especially where your creativity is concerned. Purpose isn't simply something you discover and then everything automatically falls into place. It must be developed, maintained, protected, and advanced.

Writers must keep writing, artists must keep creating, teachers must keep teaching, and leaders must keep building. There will be seasons when what once came easily becomes difficult, and that's when you have to decide whether you are going to fight for what God gave you.

I’VE HAD TO FIGHT

I've faced this with my publishing company on several occasions. There have been times when business was slow and I wondered whether perhaps that season of my life had come to an end. I didn't want to keep something alive simply because I was emotionally attached to it, so I would pray fervently and offer the company back to the Lord. If He wanted it to end, I was willing for it to end.

At the same time, I would stand my ground. I would remind God—and myself—that publishing was something He had given me to do. I wasn't going to walk away simply because things had become difficult. Then, often after those times of prayer and surrender, another client would appear and there would be more work to do. I had my answer, at least for that season: Don't quit. Keep going.

IS IT REALLY OVER?

Of course, not everything is supposed to continue forever. God works in seasons, and something that was His will for yesterday may not be His assignment for tomorrow. There are times when the right response is to let something end, thank God for what it accomplished, and move on to what He has next.

But that shouldn't be a passive decision. Don't call something finished simply because you're tired, discouraged, criticized, short of money, or encountering resistance. Those things may indicate that an assignment is ending, but they may also mean you have reached the point where perseverance is required.

The Shunammite woman couldn't raise her son herself. She could, however, refuse to accept his death without doing everything she knew to do. She found Elisha, stated her case, and brought him back with her. Elisha prayed, acted, and God restored the boy to life. She was responsible for the fight, but God was responsible for the resurrection.

Perhaps something connected to your purpose isn't producing what it once did. Maybe a creative project has stalled or an opportunity seems to have disappeared. Before you bury it and move on, ask God whether its season is truly over. If it is, release it. But if it isn't, don't confuse passivity with faith. Fight to maintain and advance what God has given you until He makes it clear that its season is over.

Purpose Principle: Purpose has seasons, but difficulty doesn't necessarily mean a season has ended. Be willing to fight to maintain, develop, and advance what God has entrusted to you while trusting Him to show you when it is truly time to let it go.