 Okay, well, we're not at the final session yet, but we're at the second to the last. We're running the race, right? You girls are so patient, patient. Good listeners. All right. So we're going to turn from some squabbling sisters to a more positive topic. The steadfast sister, the Shunamite woman. So if you would turn in your Bibles to 2 Kings chapter 4, 2 Kings chapter 4, we're going to look at some principles we can learn from this steadfast woman and they will be in the acrostic steadfast and again, not in order. Several years ago, my daughter, who is now 40 soon to be actually this Sunday, she'll be 41, she was on a trip when she was out at the master's college and she was on a mission trip in South Africa. And she had been keeping in touch with us and telling us about everything the Lord was doing in South Africa and it was really encouraging and just so exciting to be able to see her to go and to go on this mission trip. And then there was a period of time that we didn't hear from her for about 24 days and I thought, well, as a mother, I was a little bit concerned, but I tried to give it to the Lord and so I was waking up one morning, went to check my email and I saw that I had an email from her and the subject line was this, hi guys. I need your, sorry, I'm so emotional. I don't usually get it emotional, but she said, hi guys, I need your prayers and the following is what her email said, I have a few minutes to email you because God is gracious. God is doing amazing things, which I will tell you about when I have more time. I would like for you all to be praying for me, please, I'm very sick right now. The sickest I've ever been in a long time and I'm in a lot of pain and I'm shedding a lot of tears. I think that I might be going to the doctor tomorrow. Would you please pray the Lord would heal me? Thank you all so much. I look forward to seeing you all. I love you guys, Cindy. And that was it. And I was like, what? So you know as a mother, even of grown children, numerous things come into your mind, right? Like what kind of pain? How sick is she? What kind of doctors are there in South Africa? We need to get her home right now. I knew we shouldn't have let her go on this mission trip, you know, and all those things went through my mind. And I started to, you know, begin to cry and then I stopped my crying and got myself under control, called out to God in prayer and then I called our prayer chain in our church and asked for prayer. So what does a person do when a child is sick or dying? When God chooses to heal our child, what should our response be? If he chooses not to heal, what should our response be? As we consider the Shunamite woman who is a steadfast sister, we're going to endeavor to answer some of these questions. And I want to give you eight lessons we can learn from this woman. And since she is our steadfast sister, they're going to be then the acrostic steadfast. And we can certainly glean a lot from her story. This is definitely one of those things where through the comfort of the scriptures we might have hope. As we see this woman go through a tremendous trial and yet she remains steadfast. Now what I want to do, I want to read a little bit of the story, then I'm going to stop and then we're going to take it a verse at a time because there's so many great principles in this story. So let's look at 2nd Kings chapter four and begin in verse eight. We'll just read a little bit of it. Now it happened one day that Elisha went to Shuman where there was a notable woman and she persuaded him to eat some food. So it was as often as he passed by he would turn in there to eat some food. And she said to her husband, look now, I know that this is a holy man of God who passes by us regularly, please let us make a small upper room on the wall and let us put a bed for him there and a table and a chair and a lamp stand. So it will be whenever he comes to us he can turn in there. Then it happened one day that he came there and he turned into the upper room and he laid down there. Then he said to Gahaza, his servant, call this Shunamite woman. When he called her, she stood before him and he said to him, say now to her, look you've been concerned for us with all this care, what can I do for you? Do you want me to speak on your behalf to the king or the commander of the army? She answered, I dwell on my own people. So he said, what then is to be done for her? And Gahaza answered, actually she has no son and her husband is old. So he said, we'll call her. So when he called her, she stood in the doorway and he said, about this time next year you're going to embrace a son. And she said, no my lord, man of God, do not lie to your maid servant. But the woman conceived and bore a son when the appointed time had come of which Elijah had told her. So Elijah meets this Shunamite woman and he would come through and she told her husband, let's make a room for him. And so you know the story, Elijah wanted to be a blessing to her. And so he prophesied that she would have a son even though her husband was very old. So she concedes and she gives birth to the son. So this brings us to the rest of the story, look at verse 18. And the child grew and it happened one day that he went out to his father, to the reapers. You know how old this boy was? Most people think he was probably between the ages of four and six. And so he goes out to the field like all little kids would if their dad was a farmer. He's going out to his dad to see him. But as he goes out to him in verse 19, he says to his father, my head, my head. And so the servant, he said to the servant, the father said to the servant, go carry him to his mother. And more than likely this boy was suffering from sunstroke. It was probably very hot. Often in the land of Palestine, it would get very hot and as they would go out to the fields and reap and he was out there with his dad, he could have had a sunstroke. Often sunstroke is shown by pain, stupor and fever. And often it is fatal as perhaps in this case. And so his dad did what all do dads do when the child comes and says, I don't feel good. What do they say? Go see your mother. Go see your mother. And so he does. He goes to see his mother. Now, of course, I'm sure this father had no idea how sick the little boy was. He thought he just had a headache or you know how some kids do. I have a stomach ache and they're just pretending. So who knows? Oh, he had a headache. So it seems. So in verse 20, when he had taken him and brought him to his mother, the servant, he sat on her knees till noon and then he died. So he was well in the morning but dead at noon. Question number one, we can learn from this story of the Shunamite woman, a steadfast woman, is a D on your acrostic. Ladies don't take your children or anyone for granted. Don't take your children or anyone for granted. I told you, you know, I saw my sister on Father's Day. We had a great time with one of my other sisters. I have three sisters and three of us were able to get together on Father's Day. It was my sister's birthday. Now she's fighting for her life in the hospital. I keep checking my phone to see if she's passed. We don't take our children or anybody for granted, right? Ladies, life is fragile. We do not know what a day will bring forth. Every one of us in this room could tell a story or we know of someone where they were here today and yet gone the next day. We do not know when our last day will be on this earth or those that we love. And so remember as a mother, you do not own your children. They are on loan for you for a short time. And so don't take them for granted. One man said, the greater the possessiveness, the greater the pain. Children are a gift, but ladies, God wants you to hold your children loosely. I had to learn that lesson when my grandkids came along because I kind of held them a little bit tighter, even in my children. You know, being a grandma is more fun than being a mom. And I had to realize you need to stop that because they were becoming little idols. You know, I wanted to hold on to them very tightly. Ladies, we hold them loosely so there are no threats to God being number one on the throne. He will have no other idols before him, not even our children or our grandchildren. So a woman who's steadfast does not take people for granted. So verse 21, she went up and laid him on the bed of the man of God and she shut the door upon him and she went out. Now she laid him on the bed of Elijah. This was where Elijah's room was. And now why this woman laid her child on the bed of Elijah and not the child's own bed is probably because of what she knew. We don't have time to go back to 1st and 2nd Kings. But remember Elijah had raised the widow's son to Azarevive to life. And remember Elijah's spirit passed upon Elijah. And so she probably knew about all these stories about Elijah and about Elisha. And so she believed because Elijah had the power to raise people from the dead, that probably since his spirit was passed on to Elisha, that Elisha had the power also to raise her son from the dead. She's possibly one of the women mentioned in Hebrews 11, you know, the great faith chapter. It says women receive their their sons back to life again. And so she possibly could be one of those great women of faith in Hebrews 11. So the second lesson we can learn from this woman who is steadfast is the F on your acrostic. Faith is strong in those who are steadfast. Faith is strong in those who are steadfast. Ladies if your faith is weak, you will fail in the day of adversity. The Bible speaks to that. If you are weak in your faith, you will fail when bad tidings come. You will fail in the day of adversity. Your faith should be strong, strong in times of adversity. So in verse 22, she calls to her husband and said, please send me one of the young men and one of the donkeys that I can run to the man of God and come back. So he said, why are you going to him? It's not the new moon and it's not the Sabbath day. Now why this woman doesn't tell her husband that their son is dead? I have no idea. It's a mystery to me. I mean, I remember my husband was reminding me the other day when our son Charles was a baby, an infant, and he fell off the infant seat. I was putting my makeup on in the bathroom and I had him in his infant seat. He fell off and hit his head on the bathtub and I was 19 and freaked out. I didn't know what to do. So I took the baby and took him to where my husband was working so he could check him out. I was too hysterical. And so I mean, I would immediately tell my husband if one of our children died, but she didn't do that. Maybe she knew her husband wouldn't let her go see Elijah. Maybe his faith was not as strong as hers. Maybe he wasn't a Christian. Maybe he thought she was, you know, I don't know why she didn't tell him. But she says, I must see him today. And it's interesting the husband objects. He says, it's not the new moon or the Sabbath. So why are you wanting to go? But he does let her go. And notice the last four words of verse 23. She says, it will be well. It will be well. Ladies, this woman continues to manifest great faith with these words. And so in verse 24, she says, it'll be well. And she saddled the donkey and her servant and said, drive and go forward. Do not slacken the pace for me unless I tell you. Now, ladies, the love of this woman for her son is evidenced by this right here, because in order for her to travel by donkey to the top of Mount Carmel, it was 16 to 17 miles on a donkey, which would take six or seven hours. Now, that's, you know, that's love, right? So a third lesson we can learn from this steadfast woman is this. And it's the A on your acrostic. Agape love goes the extra mile. Agape love goes the extra mile. You know, women are commanded and tied us to, to love their children, to love their children. That word is phileo. It's a tender affection. And we not only see this mother's tender affection for her son who's just died, but also Agape love that will give and give and go the extra mile. In fact, my daughter is coming in Monday. Lord willing to visit for a couple of weeks from Houston with her family. And she called me the other day and she said, mom, I can't find anyone. Take care of the dog. Well, her dog's like, you know, and I, she said, so is it okay if we bring him? Now, ladies, I'm sorry if any of your cat lovers, dog lovers, but I don't have animals in the home. We used to when the kids were growing up. And I said, Cindy, only because I love you. Can you bring that dog? And so Agape love does that, right? We love, we give for what the person needs and she needs some because she can't find anybody to take care of the dog. And so we do that without thought of anything in return. That's a mother's love for a child. That's a steadfast woman, Agape love. And so in verse 2526, she departs and goes to the man of God at Mount Carmel. So it was when the man of God saw her far off, he said to his servant, Gehazah, look, it's the Shunamite woman. It's well with me, with my husband, with the child. All is well, she says, and yet the child is dead in the house. Did you hear that? All is well, and yet the child is dead in the house. Someone says, when God calls away our dearest relations by death, it becomes us quietly to say, it is well with us and them. It is well for all that God does is well. Reminds me of a song we know, right? It is well with our soul. You all know the history of that. The man had already lost everything in the Chicago fire. Then after that, he lost his son. Then he sends his wife and four daughters ahead on a ship and all four of his daughters drown. And so when he is taken by ship and they're going over the place where his four daughters drowned, he picks up his pen and he writes, whatever my lot thou hast taught me to say, it is well, it is well with my soul. And so the Shunamite woman could say, even though her son is dead, she says, it is well. She had perfect peace. This is the fourth principle and lesson that we can carry with us when considering this steadfast sister is the A on your acrostic. She is always at peace. Ladies, a steadfast woman will be always at peace. The Lord gives, the Lord takes away. Blessed be the name of the Lord. We're always at peace. We believe in the sovereign will of God. So in verse 27, she came to the man of God at the hill and she caught him by the feet. But Gahaza came near and pushed her away. But the man of God said, let her alone. Her soul is in deep distress. And the Lord has hidden it from me and has not told me. So she catches him by the feet and this was a gesture that would indicate humility, it's desperation. The servant obviously thought this behavior was wrong and so he tries to push her away. But Elijah recognizes something's wrong. She's in deep distress. Ladies, another principle, number five in the T on your acrostic of a steadfast woman is she thinks correctly about herself. She's humble. She thinks correctly about herself. She is humble. She falls at his feet. She knows, I can't do anything about this situation. I can't do anything about it. I'm humble. And she had something in her head probably knowing that Elijah could probably raise her son from the dead. And indeed, Elisha was right. There is a problem. Verse 28, she says, did I ask a son of you, my Lord? Did I not say, don't deceive me? Don't deceive me about this. I didn't desire a son of the Lord. I expressed no such wish to you. I was content. I was happy. And you promised me a son. And didn't I say, don't deceive me. Don't mock me with a child that will be only deprived by death. I wasn't like Hannah or Rachel who said, give me children or I'll die. So Elijah says to his servant in verse 29, he says to Gehazah, get yourself ready. Take my staff in your hand. Be on your way. If you meet someone, don't greet him. And if anyone greets you, don't answer him. Lay my staff on the face of the child. So there's an urgency there. He says, go quickly. Often in the biblical world, people, they traveled by foot, not by car or train or bus. And so you can imagine you're walking along the road and you meet other people walking on the road and you stop and talk. And he says, don't do that. Don't stop. If anyone talks to you, don't talk back. Don't even initiate any conversation. Just get going. Now you might be saying, well, why didn't Elijah go? Why did he send Gehazah? Well, several reasons. First of all, maybe he didn't want the woman to be dependent on him. He wanted her to realize that he wasn't the end to all means. Also, some people think that Gehazah, his servant, was a lot younger. And so maybe he could run faster and get there quicker than Elijah could have. And also, maybe he wanted to realize that he thought that God would honor the method, which was the staff. And so it didn't really matter who took it. And so he sent Gehazah with his staff. We're not for sure, as the Bible doesn't tell us why he sent Gehazah instead of himself. But the woman wouldn't settle for this. Notice of verse 30. The mother of the child said, as the Lord lives and as your soul lives, I will not leave you. I will not leave you. So he arose and followed her. She wasn't going anywhere without Elijah. So while she's objecting about this, the servant Gehazah hurries on, starts running ahead to perform the task the master gave him. But it didn't work. Look at verse 31. Gehazah went on ahead of them and he laid the staff on the face of the child, but there was neither voice or hearing. Therefore, he went back to meet him, Elijah, and he told him saying the child has not wakened up. Now you might say, why didn't it work? Well, I believe Gehazah had a different spirit. If we had time, we'd move on to the next chapter, which we don't, but you probably know the story in 2 Kings chapter five. Remember when Naaman was cured of his leprosy? Remember, Elisha told him to go dip in the Jordan River seven times, and he did. He dipped himself. He protested first, but he did eventually dip seven times and he was healed of his leprosy, a guy named Naaman. And so he wanted to give Elisha some money for what he had done, and Elisha didn't know. I don't want your money. And so Gehazah, the servant, is still with him at this time in chapter five and he's listening to all this. And so Naaman heads off, but guess what? Gehazah, the servant, sneaks off and he comes and follows Naaman and he says, hey, I need some money for the two sons of these prophets. And so Naaman says, sure, your master's just healed me. So he gives him money and Gehazah comes back to where Elisha is and Elisha says, where have you been, Gehazah? Where have you been? What have you been up to? So he lies to him, of course. So there's line going on and greed. And he says, the leprosy of Naaman is gonna cling to you. And from that day, Gehazah became a leper. So the guy's heart was already corrupt, obviously. And so that is very possibly why the staff, late on the dead boy, did not work. Ladies, the love of money is the root of all evil. And some, by loving it, have what, abandoned the faith. We need to be very careful. We read in 2 Peter about those that are false teachers, they make merchandise of people. They're in it for the money. And so Gehazah had a very different spirit than Elisha. And so it didn't work. He laid the staff on the dead child and it did not work. Ladies, this reminds me of God, excuse me, Gehazah was not able to raise the boy. Also to perhaps show the woman in Elisha that it wouldn't be a rod or a magical formula to raise the child, but only earnest prayer and faith. And God, it reminds me of Matthew 17, when the disciples tried to cast demon out of a child and Jesus said, these things do not come out but by prayer and fasting. Ladies, there's not magical formulas but only sincere earnest prayer in some cases. You know, we're always looking for the easy solution, aren't we? But God is calling for us to earnestly seek him, seek his face. So Gehazah is ineffective, but Elisha arrives on the scene in verse 32. So Elisha comes to the house. There was a child lying, there was the child lying dead on his bed. And he went in there for and he shut the door behind the two of them and he prayed to the Lord. Elisha prayed. Prayer was the only remedy in this case. He had no power at all to raise this child to life. In fact, the Hebrew word for prayer here means to entreat or to make supplication like Jesus in the garden before he went to the cross. Oh my father, if it's possible, let this cup back pass for me. So it was earnest prayer. He's entreating the Lord. And so after Elisha prays, it says in verse 34, he went up and he lay on the child and he put his mouth on his mouth, his eyes on his eyes, his hands on his hands and he stretch himself out on the child and the flesh of the child became warm. Probably what Elisha was doing was trying to transfer a portion of his body, his natural warmth of his body to the child and of course blowing into the child's mouth. He inflated the lungs and restored respiration similar to what we call today CPR. Ladies, Elisha uses every natural means and his power to restore life while praying to God to perform a miracle. And this is a good lesson for all of us when we go through things like this, things that are very difficult trials, even health issues. Use the means that God's provided, whether it's natural means, medication or whatever, but trust God for the supernatural, right? And I've seen that through the years. I mean, we've had people in our church and doctors have given them no hope and you've got this kind of cancer. I remember one guy, you've got this kind of cancer, you'll never be able to have children. They've got three children. I mean, you know, you trust God for the supernatural. The medical field doesn't know about our God, right? Most of them. And so we have a God that can do the unbelievable. So another lesson we can learn from this story is the sixth one. This is the E on your encrostic. Endeavor to do your work, but beg God to do his. Endeavor to do your work, but beg God to do his. Do what you can do in the midst of your trial. Pray, use medicine if you need to. Use natural means if you're into more of the natural medicine. Do what you can do, but trust God. Don't just sit there and do nothing, but trust God for the supernatural. So after Elijah does this, verse 35, he returns and he walks back and forth in the house and he goes up and stretches himself on him again and the child sneezed seven times and the child opened his eyes. This going back and forth was probably a time when Elijah was pacing back and forth and praying to the Lord. And it's interesting that the child sneezed seven times and opened his eyes because physicians tell us that sneezing is actually beneficial for the removal of obstructions in your head. And it actually helps disorders of your head. And so if you're having a head problem, maybe start sneezing somehow. When I was a little girl, this is really weird, I used to put matches up my nose not lit and it makes you sneeze. You ever done that? So I used to put little matches up my nose and see how many times I could sneeze in a row. So maybe if you have a head, okay, it works. But anyway, sneezing does relieve disorders of your head. So Debbie, the other day I told you to use something else on your head, peppermint oil, but maybe I should give you a match. Always have them in my purse and it'll help you start sneezing. So that's not my nose either. So God answers the prayer of this prophet and the boy is raised to life. So he calls his mother. He calls Gahaz and he said, call the Shunamite woman. So he called her and when she came in to him, he said, pick up your son, pick up your son. Perhaps the Shunamite woman was off praying somewhere. I don't know where she was. And so she comes to get her only son but before she does, she does something much more important. She worships, like verse 37. She goes in, she falls at his feet, she bows to the ground and she picks up her son and she goes out. She worships the one who raised her son from the dead and I all know ultimately she was thanking the Lord. She wasn't worshiping Elijah, but thankful. Ladies, another lesson, number seven, we can learn from this woman is that steadfast women, S, submissively worship. We submissively worship. You might be saying, well, Susan, of course she worshiped. Her son was raised to life. Who wouldn't fall on their face and worship? Could I say reverently, even if her son was not given life, I think she would have worshiped. I think she would have. Think of David who was told by Nathan the prophet, you're not gonna die for your adultery but your son's gonna die. And I don't know what he did when he was laying on the floor for seven days. It may have been when he wrote Psalm 51, I don't know, but he was prostrate for seven days on the ground, fasting, and then they came and they told him, your son is dead, your son's dead. You know what he did? He got up and he went to the house of God and he worshiped. He worshiped before he went to his own home. Even Job, after he lost 10 children, not just one, like the Shunamite woman, he lost 10 children. And you know what it says? He says he fell down on the ground and he said the Lord gives, the Lord takes away, blessed be the name of the Lord. And he worshiped. Ladies, all three of these parents worshiped but neither death nor life should separate us from the love and worship of our Lord. Even if he takes someone that we dearly love. God did raise this woman's son but what if he had not is in the case of Job and David? Is God still loving and kind? Yes, he is. And the two things we need to remember when dealing with the death of a child or anyone that we love, two things I would encourage you to remember, trust in God's sovereignty. Trust in his sovereignty. Job did after losing, not just his children but all of his substance, broke out with horrible boils all over his body and a wife that told him to curse God and die. And he says, you talk like one of the foolish women. Shouldn't we receive evil from the Lord as well as good? Trust in the Lord. Number two, trust in the resurrection. Trust in the resurrection. Job did. He said, I know that my redeemer lives and though worms destroy my body, yet in my flesh will I see God. He believed in the resurrection. David did too. You know what he said after his son died? He won't be able to come to me, but I will go to him. I'm gonna go to him. I'm gonna see him in the resurrection. Ladies and eternity, God's gonna remove all crying and all tears. Lifestrials are gonna seem very small. They're gonna be a hiccup when we get to glory. In fact, my husband says, when we get to have any things, our first response is gonna be laughter. But why did we hold on to this when we could have that? We'll forget all the pain here, right? The present trials of this time are what? Just a little bit of a trial. They're insignificant. Another lesson number eight that we can learn is a person who is steadfast is the tea on your acrostic tenacious. This woman was tenacious. She never gave up. She believed all things. She hoped. She endured. You can see her faith. It was very evident. It is well. She was tenacious in all she did. She certainly described Hebrews 11-6. Now faith is a substance of things hoped for. The evidence of things not seen. She believed that. She exhibited great faith. And then one last lesson that is evident throughout this whole story is that the steadfast sister was strong. This is the other less. And strong in three ways, if you think about it. This woman was strong. She was strong physically in the sense she carried the child to his bed. She rode 16 to 17 miles, about five hours on a donkey. It says in Proverbs 31, about the Proverbs 31 woman, she strengthens her arms, you know? She's strong. It doesn't mean you need to go work out with weights, but she's strong. We're not lazy, strong. The Shunamite woman is also strong emotionally. Think about it, ladies. She didn't have the help of her husband. He just sent her on. She was able to go through this trial even without the emotional support of her husband. And so she was strong emotionally. I've talked to many of you know James Coates, the pastor in Canada that's been arrested so many times and I've had several conversations with his wife and even when James was in prison and it's just been really encouraging to see her strength. Even when she was without her husband for a while, strong emotionally. That's what a steadfast woman is. They're strong. They're strong. She was also strong spiritually. She was strong spiritually. She fell to the ground. Ladies, a spiritual woman, a steadfast woman is a humble woman. The way up is the way down, right? The way up is the way down. So what lessons can we learn from this steadfast sister? First of all, she S, submissively worshiped. Are you able to worship the Lord when things look bleak? Would you be in the category of Job who fell on the ground and worshiped when all was dark or like Jonah who ran away and pouted when things didn't go his way? Next we learn about a woman who is steadfast. She had the T on your cross check. She thinks correctly about herself. She's humble. She realizes she has no power within herself to do anything apart from God. Are you humble or haughty? Do you think you can manage your own affairs or do you humbly submit yourself under the mighty hand of God? Thirdly, a steadfast woman E endeavors to do her work and begs God to do his. When going through hardships, do you do what you can do in the physical realm and let God do his work in the spiritual realm? Next, a steadfast woman has agape love, the love that goes the extra mile. Is your love stretched to the max even when things are difficult? Or do you endeavor to just get by? Another lesson to learn is this, the D on your cross stick. Don't take children for granted. Don't take anyone for granted. Life is a vapor. We're here today and gone tomorrow. Remember, this could be your last day. Make it count and love to the max. All those that are around you. F, faith is strong in those who are steadfast. Is your faith strong or weak? Do you believe God will do what he says even in life and death? A, always be at peace is another sign of a steadfast woman. All is well, even when things to the natural person don't appear well. Can you honestly echo with the hymn writer it is well with your soul? A steadfast woman is also strong. Now granted, physical strength is a bonus. Not always present. Not all of us are strong. My husband used to say when I was present, strong is an ox, you know, I was strong. But we should all have spiritual strength, right? An emotional strength, even if we don't have physical strength. Are you self-controlled when things look bleak, when life seems overwhelming? Or do you let your temper get the best of you? Is your spiritual strength at its peak when you're weak? Because yes, you're weak, but he's strong. He is your strength. And last but not least, a steadfast woman is tenacious. She never gives up, she always hopes, she always believes, she always endures. Have you given up in any area of your spiritual life? Have you lost all hope? Are you remaining steadfast? And will you remain steadfast to the end? I remember when we got that letter, that email that our daughter was so ill. At the same time, my neighbor across the street had a daughter about my daughter's age who was dying of ovarian cancer. My daughter returned home. The girl across the street died. Why did God take one and not the other? I don't know. I don't know the answer to that question. But I know that I can trust in God's sovereignty, whatever the problem, whether it's in sickness, health, and yes, even in death. But whatever our lot, may he cause us to say, it is well, it is well with my soul. This is the heart of a steadfast woman. Let's pray. Our Father in heaven, you are so great and you are so kind. Even in death, whether in life or in death, we will cling to you. You are only hope. You are our shield in the day of trouble. You are strong deliverer. You are our God. And so Father, as we go through these days, which are troublesome, concerning, many of us have personal issues, many of us have loved ones that are dying. Many of us have friends and family that are sick. Some are sick unto death. And we don't know where this world's going. It's a crazy world. You know that. But I pray, Father, no matter what happens, whether it's within our homes, our families, or even our nation, our world, that we would be steadfast, that we would remember these principles from this Shunamite woman. Lord, that we would be like her. What a great woman. Looking forward to meeting her in glory. But Father, help us to remember these principles so that we too can say, it is well with our soul. Whatever you bring into our life, it is well. We ask these things for your sake and your glory. We wanna put you on display. In Christ's name, amen.