Today’s blog was inspired by the Shunamite woman whose story is found in the book of 2 Kings 4. As humans, we encounter losses, gains, brokenness and blessings alike. As Christians, one of the greatest challenges of our journey is developing the discipline to respond to these changing conditions according to the Word of God. One of the most valuable lessons God is teaching me through this woman’s story is the importance of weighing our words in our hearts before they escape our mouths to set our lives on fire.

Our mother tongue discovers the country we are of, similarly our speech represents the Spirit we are of.

According to Jesus’s teaching in Matthew 12:33-37, the heart is the tree, words are the fruit. Our words snitch on the source our hearts feed off. They have the ability to reveal THE ONE we are in intimacy with. The one whom we PRIVATELY submit to, honor and pursue in our everyday lives, NOT the one we PREACH. Our words are simply an expression of what our hearts are full off. So what are your words saying about your heart?

The Shunamite was a God-fearing, wealthy woman who accommodated Elisha while he stayed in Shunem. As one welcomes Christ through the door of their hearts, so she welcomed this man of God with open arms. She literally invited LIFE into her household which a year later was manifested in a form of a son. BUT one day, when her son was older, he encounters a sudden death. (2 Kings 4:20) Her attitude and reaction to this horrifying situation is where it gets really interesting.

Firstly, she carried the corpse to lay him on the bed of Elisha then she proceeds to shut the door behind him. She refused to either create drama or talk to her dead situation, instead, she turned her back on it to go speak to the one who can do something about it. Now, if many of us were in her place, the entire world would have known about it within less than five minutes. Although she just lost her only son, she was assured ALL WAS WELL. Surprisingly enough, she never proclaimed his death even at the feet of the man of God.

Perhaps, you are struggling to speak in a godly manner in your changing circumstances/seasons because you are talking to your situations, dwelling and meditating on them instead of Jesus. You aren’t turning your back on them. You aren’t throwing yourself at the feet of God and holding tightly onto Him. You are not allowing Him to show you the purpose in your pain and the reason for the rain. You are giving your opponent an opportunity to use you against you by setting your tongue on fire. (James 3:6) We weren’t called to believe in or live in what we see but in what HE SAYS. Don’t bury your situations with your words until God approves of their death.

Your words create your world.  Are you BUILDING or BURNING your world with your words?

Secondly, she had the perfect opportunity to go all crazy, shout and complain to God. However, the source her heart was planted in for years had led her to speak and act out of wisdom. Her attitude in the midst of a heart-breaking situation displayed a GUARDED HEART. A guarded heart is a guarded mouth. (Proverbs 4:23) And our hearts can only be guarded with the truth of God.

Did you know complaining against God is a sin? God condemned the Israelites to wander in the wilderness for forty years until the generation of complainers died off. This is serious. During rough times, do we go to God moaning about His ‘failure’ to take care of our business as our God? We ought to pay close attention as to how we talk to Him. We are told to politely make our requests known to God not criticize Him for what He did and didn’t do. He isn’t obligated to do anything for us anyways. He may be our friend but He is first the King of kings, the Lord of Lords who will hold us accountable for EVERY CARELESS and USELESS word we speak. (Matthew 12:36) Oh yes, the empty words we are throwing around so carelessly now; will COST us much on judgment day unless we repent and change.

The unfair treatment of the world, our crazy circumstances or our enemy don’t permit us to speak as we please or feel.

We must look to Jesus to cleanse and heal our hearts from the dirt and chaos of life so we may have a purified communication. May God train our feet to dance upon disappointments. Keep us still in the storm. Teach us to believe in Him with boldness even when our circumstances are saying otherwise. Beloved, guard your mouth to only speak words that bear good fruit, nourish the body of Christ and glorify God. IT IS WELL.

“Set a guard over my mouth, LORD; keep watch over the door of my lips.”

– Psalm 141:3

God Loves You, Always & Forever!