Category: Life & Lessons

My Extraordinary Ordinary Father

By Ife J. Ibitayo

Dedicated to my father—I am so grateful to be your son.

Every Saturday morning growing up, I was awoken by the sound of a basketball caroming off a hoop. It was the sound of my dad practicing his special double-handed overhead shot.  Most of the time I’d hop out of bed and run downstairs to join him. But sometimes I’d roll over, dig my head into my pillowcase, and try to go back to sleep. But regardless of how I responded, I knew that every Saturday morning my father would be shooting hoops in our driveway.

It wasn’t until I was older that I found out my dad wasn’t training for the NBA combine. He didn’t like basketball and knew that he’d never be good at it. But he would go out there every weekend hoping to connecting with my older brother and me.

Extraordinary

My father is extraordinary. He started his life in his America in his thirties with a wife and a baby boy. Despite his college degree from Nigeria, he worked a menial job for years as he earned an American graduate degree.

 My parents slept on a mattress on the floor in a one-bedroom apartment. They lived paycheck to paycheck and depended on WIC to make ends meet. They endured hundreds of stressful days and countless sleepless nights until they finally broke through. And we arrived in the suburbs with a two-story house, a swimming pool, and a basketball hoop.

Ordinary

But I don’t appreciate my dad just because of one extraordinary act of his. As Rome wasn’t built in one day, neither was our loving family. As I mentioned earlier, every week we’d play basketball together. Every week we’d go to church together. And every week we’d share a meal together.

These ordinary, seemingly mundane events formed the sturdy foundation of my childhood. I knew my father loved me because he was always there for me. And even when he traveled for weeks on end, I knew that when he returned, we’d pick right back up where we’d left off.

Conclusion

Proverbs 19:14 says, “Fathers can give their sons an inheritance of houses and wealth, but only the LORD can give an understanding wife.” But an understanding father is also a gift from God. God gave me a father who’s left me with much more than houses or wealth: He’s given me love, and all the wealth in the world can’t compare with that.

“A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children.”

Proverbs 13:22a

Joy in the Midst of Pain (In the Midst of Pt. 2)

By Ife J. Ibitayo

For Part 1, “Peace in the Midst of Trouble”, click here.

The book of Philippians is apostle Paul’s happiest letter by far. He mentions joy or rejoicing sixteen times and nearly a third of these references speak to his present joy (Philippians 1:4, Philippians 1:18, Philippians 2:17, Philippians 4:1, Philippians 4:10). You’d think that he’s on vacation or visiting one of his prospering churches. But Paul pens his sunniest epistle amidst some of his greatest suffering—imprisonment in a dark, dirty prison cell.

Joy in Christ

Paul’s first and greatest joy was Jesus Christ. He rejoiced in living because that meant that he got to continue working for Christ (Philippians 1:22). He rejoiced in dying because that meant that he’d get to be with Christ (Philippians 1:23). And he rejoiced in his suffering because it was furthering the gospel of Christ (Philippians 1:13).

Jesus is our north star. He’s that fixed point in space that orients us when the storms of life come. When those without God suffer, they have reason to despair. When they are dumped, diagnosed, or defeated, “the Universe” shrugs its shoulders and tell them they got the short end of the stick. But God tells us believers that all suffering will bring us closer to who He created us to be (Romans 8:28-29).

Joy in Others

Paul’s second joy was other people. Paul started off the book of Philippians by saying, “Every time I think of you, I give thanks to my God. Whenever I pray, I make my requests for all of you with joy, for you have been my partners in spreading the Good News about Christ from the time you first heard it until now” (Philippians 1:3-5). Paul was born to be a missionary, that was the pride and joy of his life. But instead of mourning his loss, he rejoiced that others shared his vision and carried on the torch.

He also rejoiced in his relationship with his friends. The Philippians were his joy and crown (Philippians 4:1). And he wrote this letter to encourage them to remain strong. When suffering closes in, we have a tendency to curl up. We want to detach from others and focus on ourselves. But we can find joy by following Paul’s example—remembering the loving care of those around us and finding ways to serve them.

Joy in Contentment

Paul found his ultimate joy in contentment. Some of the most powerful words in the entire New Testament are found in Philippians 4:12-13:  “I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.”

Discontent people will always be unhappy. No matter how many blessings the LORD lavishes upon on them, there will always be just one more thing they need. But content people trust in God. So they can be happy no matter their present sufferings.

Conclusion

Paul was the apostle of pain. He was baptized into the faith with the prophecy: “I will show him how much he must suffer for My name” (Acts 9:16).  With bruises and beatings, sleepless nights and shipwrecks, Paul endured more than many of us ever will even if we lived ten lifetimes. Yet he was also happier than many of us ever will be too. If we focus on Christ, love on others, and mature in contentment, we too can begin to sing in the midst of our dungeons.

“We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair.  We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed. Through suffering, our bodies continue to share in the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may also be seen in our bodies.”

(2 Corinthians 4:8-10)

Peace in the Midst of Trouble (In the Midst of Pt. 1)

By Ife J. Ibitayo

It’d be an understatement to say that my life has been troubled as of late. I’ve been choking down a toxic soup of emotional anguish and looming deadlines day by day. Less than a year ago, I was struggling with symptoms that resembled Generalized Anxiety Disorder. So great was the weight of my daily anxiety that my blood pressure skyrocketed (see my article “Big Problems, Bigger God”). As worries hovered about my mind like looming thunderclouds, the story of Jesus sailing across the Sea of Galilee with His disciples came to my mind.

Losing Peace

Jesus gathered His ragtag group of friends and told them, “Let’s cross to the other side of this lake” (Mark 4:35). But soon after they got underway, a great storm arose, sending massive breakers into their puny boat. In fear, the disciples rushed to the stern of the boat and roused their sleeping master. They cried to the bleary-eyed Jesus, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?” (Mark 4:38)

The disciples were fearful because they based their internal peace on external circumstances. While the sea was calm, they were at peace. When the sea grew tumultuous, so did their souls.

We too are tempted to anchor our peace on what our eyes can see: dollar signs in our bank account, 5’s on our performance reviews, or A’s on our children’s report cards. But just like the water in the great deep, forces beyond our control can transform any one of these wellsprings of peace into a source of anxiety.

Giving Peace

Jesus responded to the mighty windstorm with a mighty rebuke. He yelled to the wind and waves, “Peace! Be still” The wind stopped howling, and a great calm fell upon the sea (Mark 4:39).

Now, this peace didn’t spring up from nowhere. It was already present in Jesus’ soul. This peace is why He was able to rest through this great unrest. And this peace was so powerful that—by the power of the Holy Spirit—He was able to transform His external reality to match His internal truth.

I marvel at Jesus’ peace through the most trying of circumstances. He maintained His peace in the face of intense persecution, abandonment by His loved ones, and even His death on the cross. His otherworldly serenity tempts me to despair because I know I can’t muster up peace like His.

 But that’s why Jesus said, “Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you (John 14:27).” Because He knows that we can’t produce peace on our own, He graciously decided to give it to us.

Receiving Peace

At the end of His story about shushing the wind and waves, Jesus asked His disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith” (Mark 4:40)? He mentions faith because faith is the conduit of grace. We must transfer the faith we place in money, people, and our own capabilities onto the person of Jesus Christ in order to receive His peace.

Conclusion

We place our faith in Jesus Christ because He has the power to keep His promises. Jesus promised His disciples that they’d reach the other side in Mark 4:35, and this is the same promise He offers to each of us. No matter how large the sea, no matter how mighty the waves, Jesus promises that we’ll reach the other side of our sea of trouble.

“‘I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.’”

(John 16:33)

Heartbreak Hero

By Ife J. Ibitayo

Last week, I had my heart ripped out. Actually, it was a more protracted operation: a piece here, a shard there until it felt like there was nothing left.

When romantic relationships fail, pain follows. It’s the ever-present companion of every heartbreak hero. It threatens to wrap itself around our eyeballs and frame our uncertain future from now on.

There are no easy remedies to mend a broken heart, but there are several things that can make it worse.

Regret

The first is overwhelming regret. When my relationship dissolved, I found myself plagued by the question: “What could I have done better?” Our thoughts will condemn and second guess every decision we made: tulips rather than roses, choosing the action flick over the romantic comedy, or suggesting they meet our parents after the third date.

The Bible affirms that our hearts have a tendency to alternate between condemning and excusing us (Romans 2:15). But that’s no way to live! 1 John 3:20 says that “if our hearts condemn us, God is greater than our hearts, and He knows everything.” Rather than reliving every past mistake, we must learn from them, and pray that God gives us the strength not to repeat them in our next relationship.

Anger

There is good reason for the saying, “hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.” Just as love can bring out the best in us, it can also bring out the worst. I never realized how petty, vindictive, and easily frustrated I was until I fell in love. And when love is lost, all these death blossoms flourish into full bloom.

Anger is a cancer that can pervade every aspect of our lives. It can rob us of physical health, emotional stability, and spiritual peace. And it only has one antidote: forgiveness. Forgiveness is a gift we must receive from the Spirit because it is completely unnatural for us.

Jesus said “I’m the vine. You are the branches. Apart from Me you can do nothing” (John 15:5). We don’t have it in ourselves to let go of every ghosted text, every missed phone call, every dollar and hour we spent in pursuit of our lover’s heart. But when we forgive, we not only let our past flame go, we let ourselves go as well. We release ourselves from the shackles of hatred and bitterness. We’ll carry those chains into every future relationship if we don’t uncuff ourselves today.

Fear

Lastly, breakups can leave us with two fears about our future: 1. How will I ever find another like her/him? 2. How can I ever let myself be vulnerable again?

Satan will tempt us to believe that that special person we lost was our last shot at a happily every after. But God says, “I know the plans I have for you, to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future” (Jeremiah 29:11). God is the ultimate matchmaker for each and every one of us. His process may not be pain free, and it may not run on our schedule. But it is good.

 Secondly, vulnerability is the fruit of a healthy heart. Just as we only use a cast on a broken arm, we only wall up our hearts when they’re still wounded. This healing, once again, only comes from God. God says He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds (Psalm 147:3). That promise extends even to our shattered, aching heart fragments.

Conclusion

I call us heartbreak heroes because the Author always watches over His protagonists. We may not know how to move forward with blood still dripping out of our chests. And the healing process will take time. But the story really will be a good one, even if we wish we could skip to the next chapter.

“For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

(Romans 8:38-39)

Whose Glory Is It Anyway?

By Ife J. Ibitayo

A little over a year ago, God led me to start this blog. I baptized the process in prayer, reached out to friends and family, and even posted flyers around my neighborhood. I had naively hoped that even if it didn’t ride the rocket to stardom that I’d at least be able to generate some level of interest. But now it’s been over a year, and my rocket has yet to take off.

Whose Glory?

As I mentioned in my article on fame, my drug of choice has always been glory. Michael Jordan, Barak Obama, and Ife Ibitayo should all be mentioned in the same breath. Interestingly enough, fame is something that God wants too.

There are eighty-eight different passages in the Bible that speak of God doing something in order that people may “know that I am the LORD” (Exodus 7:5, 1 Kings 20:13, and Isaiah 49:23 to name a few). But since we’re both seeking glory, who does it properly belong to?

His Glory?

In the book of Isaiah, God says, “‘I am the Lord! That is my name! I will not share my glory with anyone else, or the praise due me with idols’” (Isaiah 42:8). So clearly God thinks He deserves all the praise and the honor and the majesty. Considering that He is the Creator of the universe, the Sustainer of all life, and the Savior of all mankind, that is probably a reasonable demand. But then why do we so desire glory for ourselves?

My Glory?

The root of our glory seeking is pride. It began with Satan in heaven in ages past. He said, “I will ascend to the heavens; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of the north. I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High” (Isaiah 14:13-14).

Satan’s folly lay in attempting to set himself above God, and the same pride lies in our own hearts. We may not speak such blatantly boastful words, but we too think that we deserve praise and admiration. By the sweat of our brows and the work of our hands, we’ve fought for what we have today.

Chastising the Corinthians who were being ensnared by the same evil, Paul said, “What do you have that you did not receive” (1 Corinthians 4:7)? Our intelligence, our physique, and more were shaped by forces largely outside our control. We didn’t pave the path to where we are today but found it by stumbling across the yellow brick road of grace and mercy.

Our Glory

Yet the amazing thing about God’s glory is that it actually leaves room for our own as well. Before He was taken up to heaven, Jesus told the Father, “I’ve given them the glory that you gave me” (John 17:22). Jesus emphasized that there is glory that we can and should seek. But it is not derived from our own awesomeness but from the LORD’s. As we seek to glorify God on this earth, we may not receive the recognition we wish we did. But the LORD recognizes us, and He will glorify us at the proper time.

“Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time.”

(1 Peter 5:6)

Something Out of Nothing (Life in Waiting Pt. 2)

By Ife J. Ibitayo

In my post “Almost But Not Yet”, I mentioned the faith of Abraham, the father of the Israelites. He left his family and homeland based on the word of a foreign god. The LORD promised that the son he didn’t have would inherit a land he didn’t know about! The apostle Paul speaks about the significance of Abraham’s faith in the book of Romans:

Something

“The scriptures say God told him, ‘have made you the father of many nations.’ This happened because Abraham believed in the God who brings the dead back to life and who creates new things out of nothing” (Romans 4:17).

First and foremost, Paul emphasized the nature of God. When someone makes a promise to us, whether it be season tickets to our favorite sports team or a job at an exciting startup, we stake the value of that promise on the character of that person. Are they a conman? Or are they trustworthy? Abraham rested his faith on the God of Adam: the Creator who formed valuable life out of worthless dirt (Genesis 2:7), the God who regularly makes something out of nothing.

Nothing

But the seeming flip side of faith is cold, hard reality. In Romans 4:19, apostle Paul said, “Abraham faced the fact that his body was as good as dead—since he was about a hundred years old—and that Sarah’s womb was also dead.” One hundred-year-old men don’t father children, and ninety-year-old women don’t become pregnant. With similarly daunting truths that stand against the promises God has spoken to us, how can we square faith with reality?

Someone

Paul concluded that Abraham was “fully persuaded that God had power to do what He had promised” (Romans 4:21). Abraham understood the unlikeliness of God’s promise but knew that God is greater than likelihood, probability, and even possibility. The God he served was a miracle-working, promise-keeping God, and He still is today.

Conclusion

God’s promises anchor us in the heavenly realm of healings, miracles, and resurrection power when everything else in the world tries to steer us elsewhere. We can choose to cling on to our God for one more day—trusting that He’ll again make something out of nothing, or we can accept that nothing will remain nothing forever.

“Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise.”

(Hebrews 10:13)

Almost but Not Yet (Life in Waiting Pt. 1)

Ife J. Ibitayo

We live in a year of “almost but not yet”s. We’re almost allowed to go back into the office but not yet. We’re almost allowed to hold celebrations with our friends and family but not yet. We’re almost ready to return to normal (whatever “normal” will be) but not yet.

It’s like we’re stuck in Groundhog Day on Christmas Eve. We’re anxiously awaiting tomorrow, but it never seems to arrive.

Almost Free

 The Egyptians enslaved the Israelites for over four hundred years (Exodus 12:40). They waited generation after generation for salvation, according to the promise given to their ancestor Abraham (Genesis 15:13-14). Then their liberator finally arrived. Moses burst on the scene with a commission from God and a miracle working staff. He barged into Pharaoh’s palace and demanded that he release God’s people (Exodus 3-5). You can probably guess how well that went.

Pharoah kicked the uppity troublemaker out and doubled the workload of his slaves. Chastened and distraught, “Moses returned to the Lord and said, ‘Why, Lord, why have you brought trouble on this people? Is this why you sent me? Ever since I went to Pharaoh to speak in your name, he has brought trouble on this people, and you have not rescued your people at all’” (Exodus 5:22-23).

Almost Understood

God responded to Moses, “‘I am the LORD. I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob as God Almighty, but by my name the LORD I did not make myself fully known to them’” (Exodus 6:2-3). A name carries the identity and character of a person; it reveals who they are. And just as God used the waiting to reveal Himself in a deeper way to Moses and the Israelites, so He does in our lives.

How can we appreciate that God is LORD of the valleys if we only remain on the mountaintops (1 Kings 20:28)? How can we find God in hell if we’re only treated to heaven (Psalm 139:8)? It’s through the wait that we can enter into a deeper understanding of who the LORD really is.

Almost Heard

“‘Moreover, I have heard the groaning of the Israelites, whom the Egyptians are enslaving’” (Exodus 6:5a). God doesn’t simply fix our problems. He enters into our pain while we’re waiting.

We all have those well-meaning loved ones who can’t bear to see us unhappy. Instead of taking the time to understand the source of our emotional discontent, they immediately seek to banish the problem. True love enters the waiting and sympathizes with our weaknesses before healing the pain (Hebrews 4:15).

Almost Glorious

Lastly, God said, “‘I will make Pharaoh’s heart stubborn so I can multiply my miraculous signs and wonders in the land of Egypt. Even then Pharaoh will refuse to listen to you. So I will bring down my fist on Egypt. Then I will rescue my forces—my people, the Israelites—from the land of Egypt with great acts of judgment. When I raise my powerful hand and bring out the Israelites, the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord’” (Exodus 7:3-5). God strengthens our testimony by allowing us to wait.

The power of delayed graduations, marriages, and any number of major life events grows over time. For instance, it’s one thing to have a baby when you are thirty and quite another to have one when you are one hundred (Romans 4:19)! As God pushes the timeline of our promises out to the right, He’s increasing the glory of their fulfillment, not diminishing it.

Conclusion

“Almost but not yet” may very well be the hardest season of life to live in. But it’s also one of the richest. As the words to the classic song goes, “we may not be able to trace His hand. But we can trust His heart”. And we can rest assured that God is working even now.

“He will not let your foot be moved; he who keeps you will not slumber.”

(Psalm 121:3)

I Lost My Voice to Find My Worship

By Ife J. Ibitayo

Two years ago, I lost my singing voice. I remember the exact moment it happened. I was at a praise and worship service on a Wednesday night. My throat had already felt scratchy, but I had a job to do. I had to belt out the latest praise song louder than the on stage worship leaders. If I couldn’t hear me, clearly God couldn’t either. So I strained my voice a notch higher and something split in the back of my throat. For two years, I haven’t been able to sing for any extended amount of time without experiencing pain.

The Father is looking for worshipers who’ll worship Him in Spirit and in truth (John 4:23). Once I lost my voice, I became intent on finding out what God was really looking for.

In Truth

I’ve always loved praise and worship, ever since I was little. It doesn’t matter if it’s acoustic guitar and keyboard or clapping hands and talking drum; you’ll find me with my eyes closed, my mouth open, and my arms raised. But somewhere along the way, I found myself listening to my own voice a little too closely: Am I singing too softly or too loudly? Should I shift an octave higher or remain where I am? Is this note meant to be held or let go? I even started asking my family how they thought my singing was, as if I was the focus of praise and worship not God.

When we focus on what other people think of us, we can lose sight of our most important audience: God. I certainly did. And it wasn’t until I lost my voice that I realized I’d already lost the connection worship was supposed to be establishing in the first place.

In Spirit

Secondly, we’re supposed to worship God in Spirit. The word says “it is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all” (John 6:63). That truth applies to all of life, especially worship. When we physically worship God at our best–with clear voices, fresh chords, and perfect rhythm–that doesn’t impress Him.

It can be easy to forget that heaven is already filled with the greatest singers that’ll ever live: the angels themselves and perfected saints. Far higher quality worship continually rings out in heaven than can ever be achieved here on this earth. What serenades Him are worshipers who tap into His Spirit to give Him praise deeper than a thousand songs (Romans 8:26).

Conclusion

In losing my voice, I found a hidden blessing. My voice is the same rough, scratchy keening it’s always been. But my perspective on worship has been refreshed, and my hope is yours has been as well.

“Oh, sing to the LORD a new song! Sing to the LORD, all the earth.”

(Psalm 96:1 NKJV)

Watch God (Life After Death Pt. 3)

By Ife J. Ibitayo

For Part 1, “Remembered Sin or Resurrected Faith”, click here. For Part 2, “Unexpected Gift, Unexpected Grief”, click here.

Jesus had many disciples, but He had very few friends. A man named Lazarus and his two sisters–Mary and Martha–were among these precious few. When Lazarus fell ill, his sisters sent this message to the famed miracle worker, “‘Lord, Your dear friend is very sick’” (John 11:3). Jesus should have taken off as soon as He heard. But He waited instead. And by the time He arrived in Lazarus’ hometown, His dear friend was already dead (John 11:17).

Watch, God?

If you’re anything like me, you may have noticed that this is a fairly common pattern for God. We saw the writing on the wall and begged Him to step in a long time ago: To rescue our flagging finances, our failing marriage, or our wayward children. But He didn’t show.

The prophet Elijah once mocked some false prophets who were crying out to Baal by saying, “‘You’ll have to shout louder, for surely he is a god! Perhaps he is daydreaming or relieving himself or away on a trip or asleep’” (1 Kings 18:27). But sometimes I feel like that’s my God. And that’s how Mary and Martha felt when Jesus finally arrived. They cried to Jesus, “‘If you had been here, my brother would not have died’” (John 11:21, 32).

Watch God

We’re distraught when God shows up later than we want Him to because we think He’s too late to do anything at all. When we’ve declared bankruptcy, when our spouse files for divorce, when our son or daughter overdoses, we throw in the towel. We recognize that He’s the great physician who can heal broken bones, but we forget that He’s almighty God who resurrects corpses.

Even before Lazarus was laid in the tomb, Jesus said, “‘This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it’” (John 11:4). God’s glory is not a trivial matter. Only people who worship a glorious God have glorious faith.

They pour out their life savings to wash Jesus’ feet (John 13:1-8). Tortured, imprisoned, and sawn in two, they refuse to deny the faith (Hebrews 11:35-37). They accept sleepless night and starving days just to preach the gospel (2 Corinthians 11:27). They shout with Daniel’s three friends, “Our God is able to save us from the fiery furnace, but even if He does not, we will not submit” (Daniel 3:17-18). Such faith is not built on a small God working small miracles but a great God working great wonders.

Conclusion

When Jesus came to Lazarus’ tomb, He said, “‘Take away the stone.’” But she replied, “‘Lord, he has been dead for four days. The smell will be terrible’” (John 11:39). Martha had already swung the white flag of defeat. There was no point in unearthing the putrid, rotting corpse. But Jesus replied, “‘Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?’” (John 11:40). The question Jesus asked Martha, He asks you today: “Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?”

Do you have enough faith to roll away the stone and watch God?

“The eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him.”

(2 Chronicles 16:9a NKJV)

Unexpected Gift, Unexpected Grief (Life After Death Pt. 2)

By Ife J. Ibitayo

Elisha was the servant of the prophet Elijah, who was spoken of in Life After Death Pt. 1. The LORD gave him a double portion of Elijah’s powerful spirit (2 Kings 2:9-12). He exemplified this magnified ministry by multiplying bread (2 Kings 4:42-44), cleansing lepers (2 Kings 5:1-14), and even raising the dead (2 Kings 4:18-37).

Unexpected Gift

As all resurrections do, this one began with a birth. There was a wealthy woman living in the land of Shunem who noticed that Elisha passed through their village regularly. She invited the man of God into her home. Then she created a small upper room for him to stay in whenever he passed through. Blessed by her hospitality, Elisha asked what he could do for her. Recognizing that she and her husband were elderly yet childless, he promised that in a year’s time she’d have a son (2 Kings 4:8-16).

“‘O man of God, don’t deceive me and get my hopes up like that’” (2 Kings 4:16), the woman said. But sure enough, a year later she held a son in her arms.

Unexpected Grief

The infant grew from a babe cradled in his mother’s arms to a boy that could walk all by himself. But one day he ran to his father and cried, “Oh, my head, my head!” A servant carried him to his mother, and he died in her arms (2 Kings 4:18-20). The unexpected gift was replaced with unexpected grief.

The Shunammite woman traveled to the man of God. She collapsed at his feet and cried, “‘Did I ask you for a son, my lord? And didn’t I say, “Don’t deceive me and get my hopes up”’” (2 Kings 4:28)?

Like the Shunammite woman, we too have received unexpected gifts from God: a new job to work, a wife to hold, kids to raise. We might not have even asked for these things, yet God answered the desire of our hearts. He gave us a gift we cherished, then He took it away.

Unexpected Restoration

But the Shunammite woman had come to Elisha for a reason. He traveled with her back to her home. When he entered his room, he found the dead boy’s corpse lying on his bed. He cried out passionately to God, and God reached down to that precious boy and restored him back to life. Because of the Shunammite woman’s faith, a boy’s life was unexpectedly restored, a family was unexpectedly reunited, and a testimony was unexpectedly redeemed.

Conclusion

The Bible says that “every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows” (James 1:17). God never changes. The same God who gave you a good gift yesterday is the same God who took it away today. God always has a good reason for death—of a dream, a career, or even a loved one. We may never figure out what it is here in this life. But we can rest assured that the same power that raised this woman’s son from grave is still at work today.

“But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness.”

(Lamentations 3:22)