2 Kings 4:26
“Run now, I pray thee, to meet her, and say unto her, Is it well with thee? is it well with thy husband? is it well with the child? And she answered, It is well.”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →Elisha sends Gehazi to greet the woman and ask if all is well with her family. She answers that all is well, keeping her grief hidden.
Context
Elisha sends his servant to meet the woman on the road. Gehazi is to ask about her welfare and that of her husband and child. She responds with a single word: 'It is well.'
What Does 2 Kings 4:26 Mean?
Elisha sends Gehazi to meet her with three questions, each one probing deeper into her state. 'Is it well with thee?' her own welfare. 'Is it well with thy husband?' her marriage, her home. 'Is it well with the child?'—the deepest question, the most tender place. Elisha is asking after the promise he gave, the son born to her against her hope. But the woman answers all three questions with one word: 'It is well.' Shalom. There is something almost unbearable in this restraint. She is holding back the truth, not lying, but holding it until she can speak to the man of God himself.
Her single word 'It is well' is a covenant statement. She has kept covenant with her faith. She is saying, 'Whatever has happened, I will not despair to anyone but the one who gave the promise.' She protects the situation from idle curiosity or premature mourning. She will speak to Elisha, and to him alone, will she unburden herself. This is also a profound truth about our deepest griefs: they are not for everyone. There are some things we do not entrust to servants or strangers, but only to God himself, represented in his prophets and ultimately in Christ, the one who knows the deepest places of our hearts.
Application
You need not share your deepest pain with everyone. There is a time to hold your grief and carry it to God alone, waiting for the moment and the person worthy of your trust.