We are made in the image and likeness of God (Genesis 1:26). That means we have the ability to create our individual world in the same way God created the universe and everything in it. How did He do it, and how do we do it now? With words. Words have the power to create. Words have the power to destroy. I’ve served the Lord since September of 1978. From then until now, I’ve studied the Bible and shared what I’ve learned with multitudes worldwide, as lead by the Lord. In my opinion, the issue of words and verbal communication is the most important subject in all the Bible to understand and apply correctly. I’ve even written a book on this subject, entitled The Language of Faith. In the Word of God there are examples given of people who have learned how to speak the language of Faith, and this mother in

2 Kings chapter 4 is one of them. Let’s read the whole story to understand the context of her three-word reply.   

Now it happened one day that Elisha went to Shunem, where there was a notable woman, and she persuaded him to eat some food. So it was, as often as he passed by, he would turn in there to eat some food. And she said to her husband, “Look now, I know that this is a holy man of God, who passes by us regularly. Please, let us make a small upper room on the wall; and let us put a bed for him there, and a table and a chair and a lampstand; so it will be, whenever he comes to us, he can turn in there.” 2 Kings 4:8-10

This couple was so blessed by the prophet’s ministry, they made an extra upper room on the side of their house, so he’d have his own private place to stay whenever he was in the area. In gratitude for this gesture of kindness, Elisha asked the wife if there were any special prayer requests he could ask God to answer for her. After several suggestions were turned down, the prophet found out she and her husband had never had a son, and they were now too old to continue trying. Therefore, Elisha told her that she would give birth to a baby boy in about one year. Initially, she thought he was joking and didn’t appreciate it. However, just as the prophet had said, twelve months later she gave birth to her son (2 Kings 4:11-17). In verses 18,19, a number of years pass without any interaction between Elisha and this family, and the miracle boy has grown considerably. We don’t exactly know how old he was at this point, but he was old enough to go out in the fields on his own, find his father and let him know he was suffering severe head pain. The father then instructs one of his servants to carry the boy back to his mother for treatment. Here’s what happened next: 

When he had taken him and brought him to his mother, he sat on her knees till noon, and then died. And she went up and laid him on the bed of the man of God, shut the door upon him, and went out. Then she called to her husband, and said, “Please send me one of the young men and one of the donkeys, that I may run to the man of God and come back.” 2 Kings 4:20,21

The father wants to know why she suddenly needs to go see the man of God. In his mind, there’s no reason to go, so he asks her to explain. All she says is “It is well!” In other words, everything is okay. I just need to go and you need to trust me. Once she is released to go, she goes on her way as fast as possible. When she reaches Mount Carmel, Elisha sees her from far away, and sends Gehazi to meet her and find out how she and her family have been. Remember, they haven’t seen each other in quite some time. Three questions are asked: 1) Is it well with you? 2) Is it well with your husband? 3) Is it well with the child?  She uses those same three words again to answer those three questions: “It is well” (2 Kings 4:22-26).  I’m fine. My husband’s fine. And my boy is fine, too. But the boy is NOT fine, is he? He’s laying up on the prophet’s bed, dead. What is she doing here? She’s speaking the language of Faith, just like God and just like our father-in-the-faith, Abraham. He understood the importance of considering the power of God rather than the problems he faced.  

(as it is written, “I have made you a father of many nations”) in the presence of Him whom he believed—God, who gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they did; who, contrary to hope, in hope believed, so that he became the father of many nations, according to what was spoken, “So shall your descendants be.” And not being weak in faith, he did not consider his own body, already dead (since he was about a hundred years old), and the deadness of Sarah’s womb. He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform. Romans 4:17-21.

Even though this mother gives the faith report over her marriage and family, Elisha knows something is amiss, but doesn’t know exactly what it is. Listen - when someone comes up and grabs you by the feet and won’t let go, you don’t have to be a genius to figure out something is wrong! As she continues speaking, she tells him her son is dead without telling him her son is dead

(2 Kings 4:27,28). The words she chooses to speak could only be understood by someone who understands the language of Faith, and Elisha is a man of God who does. He now understands. They’re in sync. This is how the language of Faith works. Calling things that are not as though they are - just like God. This shouldn’t surprise us, because as the Word says, we’re made in His image and likeness, so we can use our words to create or change things as needed. Gehazi is told to go immediately to the boy with the prophet’s staff, and lay it on the face of the dead body. A short time later the mother and Elisha also depart and start heading back to her house.   

Now Gehazi went on ahead of them, and laid the staff on the face of the child; but there was neither voice nor hearing. Therefore he went back to meet him, and told him, saying, “The child has not awakened.” 2 Kings 4:31.

When Gehazi does what he’s instructed to do, nothing happens. He leaves the dead body and starts back. When he meets the prophet and the mother on the road, he gives his status report: “The child has not awakened”. Undeterred, Elisha tells the two of them to ignore that report, and keep going. When the three of them reach the house, the prophet goes in, shuts the door behind the two of them, and prays to the LORD. And he went up and lay on the child, and put his mouth on his mouth, his eyes on his eyes, and his hands on his hands; and he stretched himself out on the child, and the flesh of the child became warm. He returned and walked back and forth in the house, and again went up and stretched himself out on him; then the child sneezed seven times, and the child opened his eyes. And he called Gehazi and said, “Call this Shunammite woman.” So he called her. And when she came in to him, he said, “Pick up your son.” So she went in, fell at his feet, and bowed to the ground; then she picked up her son and went out. 2 Kings 4:32-37.

When you speak Faith, speak the desired end-result, and speak in the present tense. Follow the example this woman, wife and mother gives to us – a story the Holy Spirit chose to include in the Word of God. “It is well” was a present-tense statement of faith, indicating the mother’s desired end-result. It should be the same for us today, especially because we now operate under a better covenant, built upon better promises (Hebrews 8:6). At no time did any of the key players in this story use the words “death” or “dead”. There were only three people who knew the boy had died. The mother, Gehazi and Elisha. None of them used words to indicate physical death. They were talking as if the boy was sleeping. Gehazi said the child had not “awakened”, as if the boy was merely taking a nap. And as far as we know from this story, the boy’s father never knew his son had died. Maybe he was told later when he came home, but judging by how the mother talked her son back to life, I doubt it. The main take-away from this hand-picked story from the Holy Spirit is this: think before you speak, and make sure your words give God something to work with. Choose your words carefully. The Bible is full of scriptures that teach this. As I said at the beginning, this topic of words and verbal communication is the most important topic to know and understand in all of scripture. Just a few examples for why that’s true: Death and life is in the power of the tongue (Proverbs 18:21). Every idle word we speak will be judged in the day of our judgment, and by our words we are justified, and by our words we are condemned (Matthew 12:36,37). Can any other topic be more important? I don’t think so.

We can’t change the mistakes we’ve made with our words in the past, but we can receive forgiveness and make the needed adjustments to move on. If we confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive us, and cleanse us from all unrighteousness  (1 John 1:9). That includes all the errant conversation that we’ve spoken forth that cripples the Lord’s ability to do mighty things for us. Let’s be wiser. Let’s be more diligent. In every area of concern in our lives, let’s start declaring what that mother spoke forth thousands of years ago. 

It is well!