What To Do On Your Way To A Miracle

     The prophet Elisha used to pass by a certain village where there lived a woman and her husband.  As often as he passed by, he would stop there and eat food.  The woman said to her husband that they should build a small room, and put in a bed, a table and a chair, and a lampstand for the man of God.  So one day when Elisha came, he turned in there and stayed in the room prepared for him.  Elisha wanted to do something for the kindness that this woman had shown to him, so he asked what he could do for her.  But she was content with what she had.  Gehazi, Elisha's servant said, "Actually she has no son, and her husband is old."  Upon hearing this, Elisha told the woman, "About this time next year you shall embrace a son."  At the appointed time given by the prophet, the woman gave birth to a son.
     A few years later, the son was out with his father in the field, and complained about his head.  The father had him brought to his mother, and he sat on her lap until noon and then died.  Can you imagine what the mother felt when her son died.  But the mother did something very unusual.  She laid the boy on the bed prepared for the man of God, and closed the door, and went to see her husband.  She asked for a donkey and a young man to go see the man of God.  Upon asking her why she wanted to go, she answered, "It is well."
     As they approached the place where the man of God was, he sent out his servant Gehazi to inquire what was wrong.  He asked her, "Is it well with you?  Is it well with your husband?  Is it well with the child?"  And she answered, "It is well." 
     When she finally arrived where Elisha was, she held onto his feet, and Elisha realized she was in deep distress.  He soon realized there was something wrong with the child, and ordered Gehazi to go on ahead and lay his staff on the child.  Gehazi went ahead and did this, and returned with bad news saying, "The child has not awakened."  This was another setback for the woman.  Elisha finally arrived at the house, and stretched himself out on the child, and the child became warm.  Then again he stretched himself on the child, and the child revived, and was given to his mother. 
     The woman knew there was a miracle for her, if she could get to the man of God.  Her faith said, "It is well", while she was in deep distress.  She trusted God while she was on her way to a miracle.  This is one of the toughest places to be in the Christian life.  You know God can do anything, and you believe that nothing is impossible, yet you have not yet experienced your miracle.  The attitude of the heart needs to be like this Shunammite woman, who refused to be denied her miracle.  Even after the setbacks that she faced, she was unwavering in her faith in God.  She would not talk about her need except to the one who could do something about it.  She was persistant and wouldn't give up in the face of adversity.  She knew God had the answer.  She showed us what to do on the way to a miracle. 

Integrity

     David revealed both the blessing he experienced, as well as the suffering he went through.  In Ps. 41 the demonic realm was attacking him.  His enemies said, "When will he die, and his name perish?"  The enemy's desire is to kill, steal, and destroy.  David says that if the enemy comes to see him, he speaks lies, and then goes out and tells it.  They whisper against him and devise ways to hurt him.  "An evil disease" they say, "clings to him, and now that he lies down, he will rise up no more."  And above all this, David's own familiar friend in whom he trusted, who are bread together, lifted up his heel against David.  This was most likely Ahithophel, who betrayed David and went to help Saul.  There are times of attack in the Christian life, where we experience what Peter talked about in 1 Peter 5:8, "...your adversary the devil, walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour."  David's answer in Ps. 41:12 is this, "As for me, You uphold me in my integrity, and set me before Your face forever."  Because of the integrity of David's heart, the enemy was not able to get ahold of David.  Integrity upheld and saved David's life.
     The word integrity comes from the word integer, which means a whole number.  To have integrity means to be in a state of being whole, entire, or undiminished.  It is adherence to moral and ethical principles, soundness of moral character, honesty.  It is a heart that stays devoted to God through times of pressure that try to force you to do something out of character.  In Ps. 25:21 David said, "Let integrity and uprightness preserve me, for I wait on You."  Integrity will preserve you and keep you.  King Abimelech took Sarah when Abraham journeyed to the south.  The Lord appeared to Abimelech in a dream at night and told him, "Indeed you are a dead man..."  But Abimelech thought Sarah was Abraham's sister, and said, "In the integrity of my heart and innocence of my hands I have done this."  And the Lord said, "Yes I know that you did this in the integrity of your heart.  For I also withheld you from sinning against Me; therefore I did not let you touch her."  Though Abimelech did the wrong thing, he was preserved because of the integrity of his heart. 
     "Vindicate me, O Lord, for I have walked in my integrity..."  Ps. 26:1.  David was kept and protected by God because he walked in integrity of heart.  Vs. 8, "Lord, I have loved the habitation of Your house, and the place where Your glory dwells."  This was David's first love, even during times of temptation and pressure to conform to what the people around him were doing.  He desired for the Lord to examine him, and try his mind and his heart.  Ps. 26:11, "But as for me, I will walk in my integrity; Redeem me and be merciful to me." 
     Satan is out to destroy your integrity.  Job had gone through trials that destroyed everything he had, and finally even his health, as he sat scraping his boils with a piece of potsherd.  His wife had long passed the point of holding onto integrity of heart.  Her words to Job were, "Do you still hold fast to your integrity?  Curse God and die."  Job 2:9.  The battle was over Job's integrity, and whether he would hold onto God through the loss of everything.  We have heard of the patience of Job, but have you heard of the patience of Job's wife?  Her advice was to curse God and die.  Integrity will preserve you even through the harshest of trials.  Hold onto your integrity!