The Desperation that Drives Faith // 2 Kings 4

April 13, 2025

1. When has God met a deep need in your life? How did this help your faith and trust in God?

2. What was the Northern Kingdom of Israel like in Elisha’s time? What would life have been like for the prophets, their families and other followers of God?

3. Why do you think the widow came to Elisha specifically? What did following Elisha’s instructions and the subsequent miracle show about the character of God, the nature of faith and the nature of our relationship to God?

4. Why would the rich woman seek, submit, and cling to Elisha in her distress and desperation? What did doing this mean for her? What does it show and represent to us today?

5. What would the miracles in this passage show Elisha about himself? What would they show the faithful and the rest of Israel? How do Elisha and these miracles point to, or foreshadow Jesus, our ultimate Prophet and High Priest?

6. What might be some reasons God does not always answer our prayers like He did for Elisha and these two women? Quote any scripture that comes to mind.

7. How do we guard ourselves from any sense of entitlement for earthly reward or miracle from God for our hard work, sacrifice and faith?