“One day Elisha went to Shunem. And a well-to-do woman was there, who urged him to stay for a meal. So whenever he came by, he stopped there to eat. She said to her husband, “I know that this man who often comes our way is a holy man of God. Let’s make a small room on the roof and put in it a bed and a table, a chair and a lamp for him. Then he can stay there whenever he comes to us.” One day when Elisha came, he went up to his room and lay down there. He said to his servant Gehazi, “Call the Shunammite.” So he called her, and she stood before him. Elisha said to him, “Tell her, ‘You have gone to all this trouble for us. Now what can be done for you? Can we speak on your behalf to the king or the commander of the army?’ ” She replied, “I have a home among my own people.” “What can be done for her?” Elisha asked. Gehazi said, “She has no son, and her husband is old.” Then Elisha said, “Call her.” So he called her, and she stood in the doorway. “About this time next year,” Elisha said, “you will hold a son in your arms.” “No, my lord!” she objected. “Please, man of God, don’t mislead your servant!” But the woman became pregnant, and the next year about that same time she gave birth to a son, just as Elisha had told her. The child grew, and one day he went out to his father, who was with the reapers. He said to his father, “My head! My head!” His father told a servant, “Carry him to his mother.” After the servant had lifted him up and carried him to his mother, the boy sat on her lap until noon, and then he died. She went up and laid him on the bed of the man of God, then shut the door and went out. She called her husband and said, “Please send me one of the servants and a donkey so I can go to the man of God quickly and return.” “Why go to him today?” he asked. “It’s not the New Moon or the Sabbath.” “That’s all right,” she said. She saddled the donkey and said to her servant, “Lead on; don’t slow down for me unless I tell you.” So she set out and came to the man of God at Mount Carmel. When he saw her in the distance, the man of God said to his servant Gehazi, “Look! There’s the Shunammite! Run to meet her and ask her, ‘Are you all right? Is your husband all right? Is your child all right?’ ” “Everything is all right,” she said. When she reached the man of God at the mountain, she took hold of his feet. Gehazi came over to push her away, but the man of God said, “Leave her alone! She is in bitter distress, but the Lord has hidden it from me and has not told me why.” “Did I ask you for a son, my lord?” she said. “Didn’t I tell you, ‘Don’t raise my hopes’?” Elisha said to Gehazi, “Tuck your cloak into your belt, take my staff in your hand and run. Don’t greet anyone you meet, and if anyone greets you, do not answer. Lay my staff on the boy’s face.” But the child’s mother said, “As surely as the Lord lives and as you live, I will not leave you.” So he got up and followed her. Gehazi went on ahead and laid the staff on the boy’s face, but there was no sound or response. So Gehazi went back to meet Elisha and told him, “The boy has not awakened.” When Elisha reached the house, there was the boy lying dead on his couch. He went in, shut the door on the two of them and prayed to the Lord. Then he got on the bed and lay on the boy, mouth to mouth, eyes to eyes, hands to hands. As he stretched himself out on him, the boy’s body grew warm. Elisha turned away and walked back and forth in the room and then got on the bed and stretched out on him once more. The boy sneezed seven times and opened his eyes.”
2 Kings 4:8-35 NIV
Sneezes protect your body by clearing the nose of bacteria and viruses. When something enters your nose or you encounter a trigger that sets off your “sneeze center” in your brain, signals are rapidly sent to tightly close your throat, eyes, and mouth. Next, your chest muscles vigorously contract your throat muscles. As a result, air together with saliva and mucus is pushed out of your mouth and nose. You have sneezed. The stroke Center
Who knew how important sneezing was? We take so much for granted, but God knew, this is why he made us with the triggers. Why we say bless you is a mystery though. I guess it’s because we’ve been taught that, your eyeballs could pop out, or your heart could stop beating, whatever the reason, God bless you indeed with healthy sneezes. Just cover it because it’s life to you but ahem..to others 😊
In the account above following the death and resurrection of the young boy, the Bible says he sneezed seven times, seven being the demonstration of God’s power, intervention, and full completion of His work, not Elisha’s. Elisha was a great man of God, but only the Spirit of God can bring the dead to life. What I found interesting as I looked up the medical benefits of sneezing was that you can’t sneeze when you’re asleep because the ability to do so is deactivated. So the proof of life in this lad who was dead, was in his sneezes. He was now awake! Glory to God!
Why am I writing about sneezing? I haven’t a clue, but we’re all about to find out. The title has little to do with sneezing and more to do with a mom who was heartbroken by the death of her son, especially since she had told the prophet “ don’t play with my emotions.” The fact that she didn’t tell her husband that their son had died, but rather went with haste to see the prophet, showed that she was on a mission. She didn’t know what the outcome would be, but she knew where to go. Do we?
Another interesting thing to note was that the Lord had kept it from Elisha as well. Maybe this was to show Elisha that this miracle in particular needed more than just prophetic words, spoken by a trusted prophet, but the supernatural intervention of the Life Giver Himself. He instructed Gehazi to go lay his staff on the lad, I guess he thought there was healing in the staff. But when he got there the child was still dead. There is no power in what was, God is not predictable. He prayed. Then he laid on the lad, mouth to mouth, eyes to eyes, hands to hands. The body grew warm but he wasn’t alive. The appearance of life without evidence is where the church is today. We’re warm, but there’s no action, no sneezing.
Elisha could’ve walked away after the child got warm, but that would be like returning a comatose body on life support to the family. There’s still no evidence of a healthy life. Is the church alive or just warm? Are you alive or just warm? The miracle isn’t complete without the sneeze. The sneeze that clears and removes death from us. The sneeze that signifies that we’re fully alive. Only then can God through His son release us to the world.
We continue and learn that Elisha got up from the warm but comatose body, walked back and forth interceding, then repeated the exercise, mouth to mouth, eyes to eyes and hands to hands- The instruments that God uses most through His Church. We speak His Word, we see spiritually, discerning the needs of a dying world, and reach out with His hands to bring healing to the nations. Whenever life returns to the church, we will sneeze, removing the obstacles that have caused death in us, and be fully raised to life. The supernatural life that takes us from being warm to be set on fire for Him. When Elisha gave the lad back to his grateful mother his assignment was complete. When we do what we’ve been raised to life in Christ to do, then Jesus can present to His Father a glorious Church.
So have you sneezed? Have your spiritual bronchial passages been cleared out? Have you warmed to His touch, or are you happy in a coma? Do you hear Him interceding for you? Are you ready for the mouth to mouth, eyes to eyes and hands to hands resurrection life? Take in His life, sneeze seven times and be raised from the dead. The mother knew where to go, notice she didn’t put the boy in his room, she laid him on Elisha’s bed- always go back to the source. Gehazi was told, “greet no one.” Everyone doesn’t need to know what’s going on in your house(life) only The One. You don’t need to broadcast it. You just need the source of your help. Her response brought life to the situation. Clear out the clutter, get in focus, seek the Lord, and be raised to new life. She went with haste, we procrastinate and drag our feet while mumbling and complaining about our circumstances. She had death in her house and she wanted no part of it. She wanted life! The one who gave the promise held the outcome. Run with haste, run with purpose. Get to the Source. Someone’s life depends on it.
Gezuntheit!
Dear Heavenly Father
The Source of all that lives and moves, thank you for breathing life into us, for allowing us to sneeze again, the very resurrected life of Christ Jesus. The enemy may try to take our lives but we have now residing in us, the very same Spirit that raised our Savior from the dead. What a great time to shout so the enemy hears us, we are no longer dead but alive! Hallelujah to the Lamb of God. Thank you Jesus for interceding for us continually we are a blessed people. We give You glory honor and praise! Amen
Written by permission of the Holy Spirit
W. Tennant