It is Well

There's a principal that underlies most of the words we utter.

Jesus once said, "...for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh." Luke 6:45

What our heart is full of is what we speak.

It takes an amazing amount of discipline to speak things that are positive when things around you are actually quite dark. James, the brother of Jesus, said that all manner of animals had been tamed, "...but the tongue can on man tame."

I've noticed that some of my words lately were escaping untamed. When discussing politics, career, finances, and other topics I was sounding negative and discouraged. I knew it was an indication of a heart problem.

Today I came across an interesting story in the Bible about speaking the positive thing, even in the face of death.

A woman had just laid out her dead son and was preparing to go see the prophet that had once foretold her that this boy was going to be born. She was grieving. She was overwhelmed. She was compelled to see the man of God. When her husband asked her about it she said, "It shall be well."

Near the end of the journey, the prophet sent his assistant to greet the woman and ask how it was with her and her husband - and also how it was with the boy. Against all evidence, and contrary to the facts, the childless mother said, "It is well."

You know - or could probably guess - how this story ends. The prophet follows her home to the boy. He prays over the boy and does some other interesting things and ultimately he restores the boy to life.

Sometimes, in the face of heart-breaking situations, we need to be able to say, "It shall be well" and "It is well."

In the case of this woman, these difficult words came true in the life of her only son!

Here is a link to the story in 2 Kings 4:17-37