In our lives, we can get into situations in which it seems that we have lost something promised, which the adversary wants to use to stop us on our way with Christ Jesus.
When God meets us with a greater presence of Himself than we knew before, it is possible that we enter into new challenges that are designed by God to expand us in our spirit man to stand on a new level.
This is clearly illustrated, for example, by the encounter of the prophet Elijah with the widow who, in the midst of a famine, was chosen by God to first give the prophet some of the food left that she had prepared for herself and her son (cf. 1 Kings 17:9-13).
1 Kings 17:9-13:
9 ‘Go at once to Zarephath in the region of Sidon and stay there. I have instructed a widow there to supply you with food.’
10 So he went to Zarephath. When he came to the town gate, a widow was there gathering sticks. He called to her and asked, ‘Would you bring me a little water in a jar so I may have a drink?’
11 As she was going to get it, he called, ‘And bring me, please, a piece of bread.’
12 ‘As surely as the Lord your God lives,’ she replied, ‘I don’t have any bread – only a handful of flour in a jar and a little olive oil in a jug. I am gathering a few sticks to take home and make a meal for myself and my son, that we may eat it – and die.’
13 Elijah said to her, ‘Don’t be afraid. Go home and do as you have said. But first make a small loaf of bread for me from what you have and bring it to me, and then make something for yourself and your son.
9 ‘Go at once to Zarephath in the region of Sidon and stay there. I have instructed a widow there to supply you with food.’
10 So he went to Zarephath. When he came to the town gate, a widow was there gathering sticks. He called to her and asked, ‘Would you bring me a little water in a jar so I may have a drink?’
11 As she was going to get it, he called, ‘And bring me, please, a piece of bread.’
12 ‘As surely as the Lord your God lives,’ she replied, ‘I don’t have any bread – only a handful of flour in a jar and a little olive oil in a jug. I am gathering a few sticks to take home and make a meal for myself and my son, that we may eat it – and die.’
13 Elijah said to her, ‘Don’t be afraid. Go home and do as you have said. But first make a small loaf of bread for me from what you have and bring it to me, and then make something for yourself and your son.
The widow had already experienced a loss in her life at this point, as her husband had died earlier.
When the prophet Elijah entered her life and she served him with her food, she experienced increasing provision with her son in the midst of a famine (cf. 1 Kings 17:14-16).
When the prophet Elijah entered her life and she served him with her food, she experienced increasing provision with her son in the midst of a famine (cf. 1 Kings 17:14-16).
1 Kings 17:14-16:
14 For this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: “The jar of flour will not be used up and the jug of oil will not run dry until the day the Lord sends rain on the land.” ’
15 She went away and did as Elijah had told her. So there was food every day for Elijah and for the woman and her family.
16 For the jar of flour was not used up and the jug of oil did not run dry, in keeping with the word of the Lord spoken by Elijah.
14 For this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: “The jar of flour will not be used up and the jug of oil will not run dry until the day the Lord sends rain on the land.” ’
15 She went away and did as Elijah had told her. So there was food every day for Elijah and for the woman and her family.
16 For the jar of flour was not used up and the jug of oil did not run dry, in keeping with the word of the Lord spoken by Elijah.
After experiencing the miracle of provision, she entered her next challenge, which involved the loss of her son while the prophet was present (cf. 1 Kings 17:17).
1 Kings 17:17:
17 Some time later the son of the woman who owned the house became ill. He grew worse and worse, and finally stopped breathing.
17 Some time later the son of the woman who owned the house became ill. He grew worse and worse, and finally stopped breathing.
Since the widow had previously been chosen by God to honor His prophetic presence in the form of providing for the prophet Elijah, it shows that she was at the center of God’s will despite the impending death of her son.
Thus, it is so essential that we do not judge from an earthly point of view the circumstances we get into. We should be aware that God is always in control and has a very specific purpose, which is akin to the process of a computer while ‘updating’ in the form of ‘downloading’ to ‘uploading’ (cf. Romans 8:28).
Romans 8:28:
28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
The process of ‘downloading’ in order to ‘upload’ includes as a result a higher and better quality in our lives. It is similar to the process of updating a device by downloading a new version of a program. To activate this installation, it occasionally requires the so-called ‘reboot’, which requires shutting down the system.
This updating process involves letting go of things so that they come to the center of God’s communication for the future, which is represented by the presence of the prophet Elijah. The widow, after the death of her son, was told to give the body from her lap to the prophet so that he would bring the son into the higher realm of divine expansion and promise, which is represented by the bed in the upper room (cf. 1 Kings 17:19).
1 Kings 17:19:
19 ‘Give me your son,’ Elijah replied. He took him from her arms, carried him to the upper room where he was staying, and laid him on his bed.
19 ‘Give me your son,’ Elijah replied. He took him from her arms, carried him to the upper room where he was staying, and laid him on his bed.
It is the adversary’s plan that we embrace the sorrow of loss and unite it with the pain from the past to block us in our path of God’s promise. Therefore, like the widow, it is important that we have prepared a place for the prophetic anointing wherein it can activate in order to bring forth the new or higher quality.
The area of the upper room prepared by the widow with the bed for the prophet reveals the potential of the quality located there.
This is evident from the Hebrew word used for ‘upper room – ‘ălîjāh’. It means a ‘room on the top floor, a room on the roof’, or ‘something lofty, like a stairway leading up’. Figuratively, it also means ‘sky’. (part excerpt from the Elberfelder Study Bible on the word Hebrew for ‘upper room – ‘ălîjāh’ with word key number 6062 and Strong's concordance with word key number: H5944)
The Hebrew root word for ‘bed’ is ‘nāṭāh’ and means, among other things, ‘to stretch out, to spread out.’
Based on the meaning of the word, it reveals that it is in God’s interest to bring us to a higher place with His given promises and to stretch out in the dynamic of the new wine in order to carry greater capacity for the time to come.
The promise given by God to the widow in the form of her son was overshadowed by the prophetic presence assigned by God as Elijah bent over the dead body of the boy three times. This was the process of extension through the action of the prophetic anointing, which involves the communication of God’s will (cf. 1 Kings 17:21-22).
1 Kings 17:21-22:
21 Then he stretched himself out on the boy three times and cried out to the Lord, ‘Lord my God, let this boy’s life return to him!’
22 The Lord heard Elijah’s cry, and the boy’s life returned to him, and he lived.
21 Then he stretched himself out on the boy three times and cried out to the Lord, ‘Lord my God, let this boy’s life return to him!’
22 The Lord heard Elijah’s cry, and the boy’s life returned to him, and he lived.
The resurrection resulted in the widow’s entering into a higher knowledge of revelatory truth, as is evident from her statement to the prophet (cf. 1 Kings 17:23-24).
1 Kings 17:23-24:
23 Elijah picked up the child and carried him down from the room into the house. He gave him to his mother and said, ‘Look, your son is alive!’
24 Then the woman said to Elijah, ‘Now I know that you are a man of God and that the word of the Lord from your mouth is the truth.’
23 Elijah picked up the child and carried him down from the room into the house. He gave him to his mother and said, ‘Look, your son is alive!’
24 Then the woman said to Elijah, ‘Now I know that you are a man of God and that the word of the Lord from your mouth is the truth.’
It was the spirit of prophecy that contributed to the ‘upgrading of quality’ in the widow’s life, in that Elijah, as a prophet, placed the boy’s body in the upper room in his bed previously prepared by the widow and brought him back to life by the power of God. After the boy came back to life, he brought him downstairs to his mother’s house.
From this it shows that it is required that we should already have a place prepared for the prophetic anointing to allow the Lord to speak to us in times of challenge the revelatory truth that we need in order to align ourselves according to His will for the coming time and to walk in it.
A similar situation of ‘upgrading of quality’ occurred at the time of the prophet Elisha, where also the promised son of a wealthy woman died. However, this was a married couple who lost their son together. They too had prepared an upper room for the prophet, in which there was a bed, a table, a chair and a lampstand (Note: menorah; cf. 2 Kings 4:8-11.18-21.32-35).
2 Kings 4:8-11.18-21.32-35:
8 One day Elisha went to Shunem. And a well-to-do woman was there, who urged him to stay for a meal. So whenever he passed by, he stopped there to eat.
9 She said to her husband, ‘I know that this man who often comes our way is a holy man of God.
10 Let’s make a small room on the roof and put in it a bed and a table, a chair and a lamp for him. Then he can stay there whenever he comes to us.’
11 One day when Elisha came, he went up to his room and lay down there. …
18 The child grew, and one day he went out to his father, who was with the reapers.
19 He said to his father, ‘My head! My head!’ His father told a servant, ‘Carry him to his mother.’
20 After the servant had lifted him up and carried him to his mother, the boy sat on her lap until noon, and then he died.
21 She went up and laid him on the bed of the man of God, then shut the door and went out. …
32 When Elisha reached the house, there was the boy lying dead on his couch.
33 He went in, shut the door on the two of them and prayed to the Lord.
34 Then he got on the bed and lay on the boy, mouth to mouth, eyes to eyes, hands to hands. As he stretched himself out on him, the boy’s body grew warm.
35 Elisha turned away and walked back and forth in the room and then got onto the bed and stretched out on him once more. The boy sneezed seven times and opened his eyes.
8 One day Elisha went to Shunem. And a well-to-do woman was there, who urged him to stay for a meal. So whenever he passed by, he stopped there to eat.
9 She said to her husband, ‘I know that this man who often comes our way is a holy man of God.
10 Let’s make a small room on the roof and put in it a bed and a table, a chair and a lamp for him. Then he can stay there whenever he comes to us.’
11 One day when Elisha came, he went up to his room and lay down there. …
18 The child grew, and one day he went out to his father, who was with the reapers.
19 He said to his father, ‘My head! My head!’ His father told a servant, ‘Carry him to his mother.’
20 After the servant had lifted him up and carried him to his mother, the boy sat on her lap until noon, and then he died.
21 She went up and laid him on the bed of the man of God, then shut the door and went out. …
32 When Elisha reached the house, there was the boy lying dead on his couch.
33 He went in, shut the door on the two of them and prayed to the Lord.
34 Then he got on the bed and lay on the boy, mouth to mouth, eyes to eyes, hands to hands. As he stretched himself out on him, the boy’s body grew warm.
35 Elisha turned away and walked back and forth in the room and then got onto the bed and stretched out on him once more. The boy sneezed seven times and opened his eyes.
From the two events of the recovery of the promise mentioned above, it can be seen that it was the prepared upper room of the prophets that played a major role in the raising of the dead.
Elijah, through his prophetic ministry, brought a destiny back to life and Elisha, through his prophetic ministry, restored the order and power of the spiritual war unit called family represented as a family in the form of father, mother and child as the origin of ekklesia, so that they were able to defend the field of the future harvest from darkness and cultivate it before their eyes.
Both sons were placed in the bed of a prophet in the upper room because in it was the power of the testimony of Jesus, which is the spirit of prophecy (cf. Revelation 19:10e).
Both sons were placed in the bed of a prophet in the upper room because in it was the power of the testimony of Jesus, which is the spirit of prophecy (cf. Revelation 19:10e).
Revelation 19:10e:
‘ … 10e For it is the Spirit of prophecy who bears testimony to Jesus.’
‘ … 10e For it is the Spirit of prophecy who bears testimony to Jesus.’
Resting in the Center of God’s Promise and the New Day
The prophet’s upper room is the place that calls for resting in the center of God’s promise that has come upon a person through prophecy. But it is also a reference to true fellowship with Christ (Note: table), His kingship (Note: chair), as well as His revelatory power (Note: lampstand; cf. 2 Kings 4:10).
2 Kings 4:10:
‘… 10 Let’s make a small room on the roof and put in it a bed and a table, a chair and a lamp for him. Then he can stay there whenever he comes to us.’
‘… 10 Let’s make a small room on the roof and put in it a bed and a table, a chair and a lamp for him. Then he can stay there whenever he comes to us.’
On the basis of Elisha’s action toward the dead body of the boy and the three objects located next to the bed in the room, namely the table, the chair and the lampstand, I received a revelation regarding the carrying of spiritual burdens until the time of the so-called spiritual birth.
If you connect the first Hebrew letter (Note: ‘Peh, Ayin, Yod’) of each of the words for ‘mouth, eyes’ and ‘hands’, you get the Hebrew word ‘pā'î’, which is derived from the Hebrew root word ‘pā'ā’ and means ‘to groan, in birthing’. (part excerpt from Strong’s Concordance to the Hebrew words ‘pā'î’ and ‘pā'ā’ with word key number: H6463; H6464).
This Hebrew word occurs only once in the Word of God in Isaiah 42:14, where the LORD previously appears as a hero and then gives birth in the form of a pregnant woman.
Isaiah 42:13-14:
13 The Lord will march out like a champion, like a warrior he will stir up his zeal; with a shout he will raise the battle cry and will triumph over his enemies.
14 ‘For a long time I have kept silent, I have been quiet and held myself back. But now, like a woman in childbirth, I cry out, I gasp and pant.
13 The Lord will march out like a champion, like a warrior he will stir up his zeal; with a shout he will raise the battle cry and will triumph over his enemies.
14 ‘For a long time I have kept silent, I have been quiet and held myself back. But now, like a woman in childbirth, I cry out, I gasp and pant.
Furthermore, the LORD places His emphasis on the respective first three Hebrew letters (Note: ‘Shin, Kaph, Mem’) of the three located objects (Note: table, chair, and lampstand) in Elisha's upper room.
If you connect the first Hebrew letter of each of the words for ‘table, chair’ and ‘candlestick’, you get the Hebrew words ‘šākam’ and ‘šĕkäm’, meaning ‘to get up early, to do something early’ and ‘shoulder, neck, back’. (part excerpt from the Elberfelder Study Bible on the Hebrew words ‘šākam’ and ‘šĕkäm’ with the word key number: 8201, 8202).
Through the word explanations it clearly shows that we enter the new day prepared by God and move forward in it in the responsibility assigned by Him with His anointing given to us. We administer things accordingly so that Jesus Christ as the Son of God comes to glory in a new way (cf. Matthew 11:29-30 i.c.w. Isaiah 10:27).
Matthew 11:29-30:
‘… 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.’
‘… 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.’
Isaiah 10:27:
27 In that day their burden will be lifted from your shoulders, their yoke from your neck; the yoke will be broken because you have grown so fat (Note: by the anointing).
Amen and Amen.
In His Wisdom,
Daniel Glimm
