Is All Really Well?
All is well.
This is a phrase that I've been hearing constantly from many of my family members and friends. For some reason, whenever they would see me or speak to me, they would always remind me of that fact: All is well. To be honest, in the moment, I don’t think much about it. I hear those three simple words so many times that it is easy to take them for granted. However, recently, I’ve been thinking about them more and more, and I found myself asking the question, “Is All Really Well?” I thought about this question the most on the days that seemed the hardest. Moreso, on the days when I felt stressed out with the demands of graduate school and when I’d feel pain in my body. In those moments, all honestly did not feel well. As I spent time with God this past week, I found myself always going back to a quote that I read in a book that said, “Attitude is more important than facts.” One day in particular, as I spent time with Him, I finally decided to ask God what that quote meant for my life, and He reminded me that it is not always about what I’m going through, but about the attitude that I keep as I go through it. At that moment, I couldn’t help but ask, “But what if what I’m going through is hard, and it’s very difficult to see any good in the situation?” To this, He responded that there is always some good present, we just have to change our perspective about whatever it is that we are facing.
He also reminded me of the story of the Shunammite woman in 2 Kings 4:8-37 (NIV). This woman was unable to bear children, but was prophesied to by Elisha that she would have a child. As promised, she did eventually have a son, whom she loved very much; however, a few years later, her young son died. What amazes me about this woman is her faith. When she realized that her son was dead, her first inclination was not to wallow in self-pity, nor was it to plunge into despair or depressive thoughts. She instead, made up in her mind that she would go and look for the prophet of God. When her husband asked her what was wrong, her response to him was, “All is well”. Can you believe that? Her son was dead; yet, she still chose to affirm in faith that all was well. She did this again when Elisha’s servant came and asked her if anything was wrong. At that moment, she affirmed, “All is well.” Clearly, all was not well with the Shunammite woman. She had a dead child waiting at home for her; yet, she chose to make the declaration: All is well.
After I was reminded of the Shunammite woman that day, I’ve been inclined to declare that all is well, no matter how bad things seem. I figured that if the Shunammite woman could make that declaration, even when her son lied dead, then I could too in the midst of everything that I am facing today. I pray that her story encourages you as it did me. Look around you. What in your life seems overwhelming, discouraging, tiring, crippling? I encourage you to declare in faith that all is well. Let me be the first to tell you that you may feel foolish doing this at first, and think, “Why would I make a declaration that is clearly not true?” This is a question that I wrestled with at first; however, I was reminded that declaring all is well in the midst of difficulty is in fact a true statement. All throughout the Bible, God reminds us that when tough times come our way, we can rest assured because He is with us and He is for us (Isaiah 43:2; John 16:33; Psalm 23:4). He tells us in these scripture verses, and many, many more, that through it all, it is well.
So, I encourage you to join me in the declaration that all is well. Yes, all may not look well right now, but, remember that we walk by faith and not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7). Keep the right attitude in this season, no matter how tough it may be. Choose to remind yourself that all is well, because it really is.