Christian Living

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In 2 Kings Chapter four, there was a Shunammite woman who had sown greatly in to the prophet Elisha’s ministry by adding a room onto her home designed specifically for him whenever he passed their way in his travels. As a result, the prophet asked if there was anything she needed. His assistant Gehazi informed him that the woman had no child and her husband was old. Elisha prophesied to her that the next year she would have a son and it came to pass. The son grew older and was one day working in the fields with his father and suffered heat stroke and died. The prophet raised her son from the dead, but one facet of the story I definitely overlooked. Thank God for a good pastor who cleared it up this past weekend. We must remember that God never places anything in his Holy Word void of purpose or that is insignificant. The latter portion of verse thirty five says the young man sneezed seven times. What does that have to do with anything?

To understand that we must first understand what happens when we sneeze. Sneezing is the body’s way of getting rid of an irritation in the nose, whatever the cause may be. The prophet had already prayed, and he knew God had answered his prayer, but the spirit of death was on the child, irritating what God had ordained. First he lay on the child and the boy’s body became warm. When the child opened his eyes, he sneezed out the impurities and pollutants of death seven times (the number of completion) and was made whole. Sneezing involves the whole body. The abdomen and diaphragm muscles tense (out of the belly shall flow rivers of living water). The vocal cords and throat produce the sound “aaah…chooo” (out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks). The eyes close (for we walk by faith, not by sight). The discharge is forcefully expelled through the nose.(salt that has lost its savour is good for nothing, but to be cast out…)

Doubt, unbelief, negative situations, and circumstances are impurities and irritants that must be dispelled from our lives. As our intake and application of the Word of God increases, so does our confidence which has great recompense of reward. In the face of opposition from the enemy, when symptoms start to appear, may we be so enveloped in the word that our spirit man overrides the flesh and “aaaah…chooooo!”

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