What season are you in right now?
Are you waiting for an answer to prayer?
Enjoying a long-awaited blessing?
Grieving something you’ve lost?
Trying to trust God when you don’t understand what He is doing?
Persisting even though you’re tired?
Or beginning to see the Lord restore something you thought was lost?
The Shunammite Woman in the Bible experienced all of these seasons.
Her story is found in 2 Kings 4 and 2 Kings 8 in the Old Testament. Although her name is never mentioned, this faithful woman’s story teaches powerful lessons about trusting God, moving forward in faith, and making room for Jesus Christ in our everyday lives.
The Shunammite Woman was a wealthy woman who lived in Shunem. As the prophet Elisha traveled through the area, she regularly provided him with food.
Eventually, she recognized Elisha as a holy man of God and decided to do something more.
She and her husband created a small room in their home where Elisha could stay when he traveled through Shunem.
Her story begins with a simple act of service and hospitality, but it eventually becomes a powerful story of faith, loss, persistence, miracles, and restoration.
One of my favorite things about studying the Shunammite Woman is recognizing the many different seasons she experienced.
She waited.
She received an unexpected blessing when Elisha promised she would have a son.
She experienced heartbreaking loss when that son suddenly died.
She persisted in seeking Elisha when her situation seemed impossible.
She trusted God.
She witnessed a miracle when her son was restored to life.
Years later, she experienced another season of uncertainty when she left her home during a famine. Eventually, she returned and saw the Lord’s hand in restoring her land and possessions.
Waiting. Receiving. Grieving. Trusting. Persisting. Restoring.
Which season feels most like your life right now?
The story of the Shunammite Woman reminds us that faith does not mean we will always understand what God is doing.
Sometimes we receive the blessing.
Sometimes we are still waiting.
Sometimes life changes unexpectedly, and we are left with more questions than answers.
Yet the Shunammite Woman continued to move forward.
When her son died, she went to find Elisha. She persisted. She sought help. She refused to give up when her situation appeared hopeless.
Her story invites us to consider how we respond during our own difficult seasons.
Where do we turn when life doesn’t go as planned?
How can we continue to trust Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ when we don’t know what will happen next?
One question kept coming back to me as I studied the Shunammite Woman:
How am I making room for Jesus Christ in my life?
The Shunammite Woman literally created a room for Elisha. She placed a bed, a table, a stool, and a candlestick inside.
We may not be building a physical room for a prophet, but we can still intentionally create room for Jesus Christ in our lives.
Making room for Jesus doesn’t have to be complicated.
Maybe it’s reading one verse before starting your day.
Maybe it’s listening to a hymn while you’re driving.
Maybe it’s pausing long enough to recognize the Lord’s hand in your life.
Maybe it’s taking a burden to Him in prayer.
Maybe it’s continuing to trust Him during a season when you have more questions than answers.
Small and simple efforts to turn toward Jesus Christ matter.
The Shunammite Woman’s story happened thousands of years ago, but her experiences can still teach us today.
That is one of the reasons I love studying faithful women in the Old Testament.
We can look beyond simply asking, “What happened?”
Instead, we can ask:
What does her story teach me about Jesus Christ?
What does her story teach me about my life?
What is the Lord inviting me to learn or do?
To help you study her story more deeply, I created the Shunammite Woman Study Guide as part of my Faithful Women in the Old Testament series.
Inside, you’ll find scripture summaries, Seek Understanding and Personal Application questions, a section to help you find Jesus Christ in her story, reflections about the different seasons of life, a special Making Room for Jesus study, learning-style study ideas, journaling pages, and more.
My hope is that this study guide helps you do more than learn about another woman in the Old Testament.
I hope it helps you find yourself in her story—and find Jesus Christ there too.
Because whether you are waiting, grieving, trusting, persisting, or experiencing restoration, Jesus Christ is aware of you.
And you can make room for Him right where you are.
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