32. When Elisha reached the house, there was the boy lying dead on his couch. 33. He went in, shut the door on the two of them and prayed to the LORD. 34. Then he got on the bed and lay upon the boy, mouth to mouth, eyes to eyes, hands to hands. As he stretched himself out upon him, the boy's body grew warm. 35. Elisha turned away and walked back and forth in the room and then got on the bed and stretched out upon him once more. The boy sneezed seven times and opened his eyes. 36. Elisha summoned Gehazi and said, "Call the Shunammite." And he did. When she came, he said, "Take your son." 37. She came in, fell at his feet and bowed to the ground. Then she took her son and went out.
Even though Russia is seeking to win back the lost countries of the 90’s many of them have had a religious revival and became independent. Many were under the communistic rule for 70 years when the Christians were being persecuted. Now there is a rising of the churches in new ways.
Over time the suffering church changed the face of Eastern Bloc. They had no power as such, none but the power of love and prayer. The church was banned from many activities such as radio and television broadcasting. They devoted themselves instead to serving the least and the weakest.
According to Chuck Colson, East Germans look back on Oct.9, 1989 as the turning point that led to a change in government, consummating the peaceful revolution. Four churches in Leipzig held weekly prayer meetings. Gradually the prayer meetings began to swell including not just faithful Christian but also political dissidents and ordinary citizens. Secret police phoned in death threats and posted lookouts around the churches. On Oct. 9 police and army units moved into Leipzig with instructions to shoot the demonstrators.
When time came for the prayer meeting, 2,000 Communist party members rushed inside to occupy all the seats. The church simply opened its seldom-used balconies and 1,000 protesters also crowded inside. Party members who attended with the intention of disrupting realized for the first time that the church was indeed working for peaceful change and not violent challenge. No one knows for sure why the military held their fire that night. Everyone credits the prayer vigils in Leipzig for kindling the process of momentous change. In the end tens of thousands marched peacefully through downtown Leipzig which brought down the government.
The New Republic a secular magazine said, "Whether or not prayers really moved mountains, they certainly mobilized the population of Leipzig. To hear them sing "A Mighty Fortress Is our God' is enough to make you believe it," Several weeks after a huge banner appeared across a Leipzig street " We thank you, church”. Indeed, in should have read “Thank you, God” For God is the power being triumphant faith.
Triumphant faith is seeing God do things man cannot do and believing and trusting in His sovereignty. It happens in nations, and it happens in personal lives.
In a victorious, miraculous manner of the son of the Shunamite woman was raised to life. God is at work and at times answers special prayer in special ways. When we put our faith in Him we cannot lose. Yes, we will face discouragements, failures, and sin, but triumphant faith is the confidence that we are in the center of God's will and care. We have nothing to fear.
Elisha laid on the boy I'm sure with prayer, but little happens. He walks around and lays on him a second time and the boy sneezes seven times. Perhaps this is symbolic of completion.
How can we bring about life to death? Simply speaking we cannot. This is an act of the grace of God and nothing else. He did it to show His glory through His servants.
Application: Our answers to prayer may not be on our timetable, but the hope of the believer is that we will see the work of God in ways we cannot imagine.
Prayer: Lord, we pray for aliveness to spiritual deadness knowing that the grace of God responds at Your will and time. Our trials will test us and tempt us to quit. But as we continue to trust, we can know that we will see the triumph of God. We trust You Lord.
