Son Wey God Promise

For top one flat roof for one small village, one woman stand dey look one small room wey she just build. One bed. One table. One stool. One lamp. Everything wey traveller wey come visit fit need. She smile. E don ready.

Dis story happen for di northern kingdom of Israel, for di time of di prophet Elisha, wey follow di great prophet Elijah. Elisha dey travel up and down di land, e dey teach, e dey help, e dey warn. One of di road wey e dey always pass carry am through Shunem, one village for di fertile Jezreel valley, under di hill of Moreh. For Shunem, one woman dey live wey di Bible call great woman, wey mean say she get money and people respect her. We no ever know her name. But we sabi plenty about her heart.

One day, as Elisha dey pass Shunem, dis woman beg am make e enter come chop. After dat, anytime e pass, e go stop for her house to chop. Then she tell her husband: I don see say dis man wey dey always pass our house na holy man of God. Make we build small room for am for top roof, with bed, table, chair and lamp. Then anytime e come, e fit stay there. Notice wetin she no do. She no wait make person beg her. She see need, and quietly, she make room. So di next time Elisha come Shunem, one room dey wait for am.

Elisha dey rest for di small room, and e tell im servant Gehazi, call dis Shunammite woman. She come stand for di door. Elisha talk through Gehazi: you don suffer yourself well well because of us. Wetin we fit do for you? You wan make we talk for you to di king, or to di commander of di army? She answer simple, I dey live among my own people. Wetin she mean be say, I dey okay. My people dey around me. I no need favour. When she don go, Elisha ask Gehazi, so wetin we fit do for her? Gehazi don notice something. She no get son, e talk, and her husband don old.

Call her back, Elisha talk. She come stand for di doorway. By dis time next year, e tell her, you go carry son for your hand. Di woman no fit even bear to hear am. No, my lord, she talk. Man of God, no lie give your servant. No raise my hope. Maybe she don stop to hope since, because to hope dey pain too much. But God word through Elisha come to pass. Di woman get belle, and around dat same time di next year, as Elisha talk, she born one son. Di woman wey no ask for anything receive di very tin wey she no even dare to ask.

Houses for ancient Israel dey usually get flat roof, wey people dey climb reach through stairs for outside or ladder. Di roof na useful space: people dey dry dia crops there, dem dey sleep there for hot night, and sometimes dem dey build small upstairs room. Archaeologists wey dey study Israelite houses don find evidence say plenty of dem get second floor. Upstairs room like di one wey di Shunammite build go give visitor privacy, cool air for evening, and im own place, without say e go crowd di family wey dey downstairs.

You go find dis story for Second Kings chapter four, verse eight reach seventeen. Like Sarah, Hannah and Elizabeth, dis woman hear one promise wey e hard her to believe. And for Christmas, we remember another family wey dey look for room, and dem no see any for di guest room. So see one question wey you go carry dey go. Di Shunammite woman make room for God servant before anybody ask her. How you fit make room for God, or for person wey dey in need, dis week?