Making Space for the Holy Spirit
2 Kings 4: 8-37
Over the past few weeks I’ve shared with you how I
Believe that this is “The Year of the Holy Spirit”
I believe God is stirring us to spend this year
emphasizing the Holy Spirit – Who He is, What He does
and our need to continually lean in on Him and allow
Him to direct our lives, our church, our services – to
truly allow Him to be “in charge” of everything.
And so far, we’ve been experiencing some really
special times as the Holy Spirit has been showing up in
our services. And the reality is, through the years,
there have always been those special times – special
services where the Holy Spirit shows up and takes
over and our agenda gets thrown out the window and
God does amazing things in our midst. After all,…
we’re Pentecostals and we should expect to see the
signs and wonders … the manifestations of the Holy
Spirit in our services.
But if we would be honest we’d have to say that
at best, those are “visitations”.
Last week I went to a conference in SC and then
spent a couple of days with my mom in NC… but I was
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only “visiting” – I only had a small suitcase with just
enough clothes for a couple of days because I wasn’t
staying long – my mom put me in her guest bedroom –
it wasn’t “my bedroom” like I had when I was growing
up and actually lived with my parents - it was
temporary, not permanent. It was a visitation, not a
habitation!
I believe that is a picture of how we often view
God… how we view the Holy Spirit. We prepare Him a
“guest room”… He is our special “guest” for the day
and we’re OK with that… for a little while…
But is there enough room for God to dwell inside
our busy lives – not just as a guest who sleeps
where we tell him and behaves like a guest should
act – but room for the Holy Spirit to take up total
residency in our church and our lives?
Question: Church: I simply ask you “Are you at Full
capacity? Are you so busy with your own life… doing
your own thing… chasing your own goals and
dreams… doing the stuff you like to do, that if you
are honest you would have to admit you don’t have
any space left… any room left for more of God… for
a “move of God” in your life… in our church?”
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We have been saying that we believe this is a year in
which God wants to bring a revival to SLC. But We
have to make space in our lives to handle the
outpouring that God has for us.
Some of us are asking, praying, begging for a move
of God but we have no more space.
We’re set in our ways. We have our plan in action.
We’ve made up our minds that this is it. This is
what our lives, our ministries look like.
For a few minutes I want to challenge you with the
idea of “Making Space for the Holy Spirit” (title of my
message)
2 Kings 4 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 came 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…
Clearly by this description there was no room for the
prophet to move in… so to make room they had to
raise the roof. To make space They had to expand
their present structure.
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It was one thing for the man of God to stop in for
a visit and a meal from time to time but this well-
to-do woman wanted him to be at home with
them.
To live with them and not just pop in for a little
fellowship.
She wanted him to dwell there and feel
comfortable knowing he had his own space.
Church, in order to raise the roof, to make space for
the HS, we have to think outside our existing
structure. Think outside of the norm.
**Some of us have no space in our present level of
thinking, present level of worship, and even our
present level of prayer.
No room, no space for expansion.
I mean we worship… we pray… we come to church
But our lives our so busy… so crammed with the
stuff we find important… that there isn’t really
room for “more of God.”
Do you have space for Wednesday night prayer?
Do you have space to lead a small group – to serve
in a ministry? To disciple a new convert?
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If revival came and we were flooded with more
people, do we have enough folks in our nursery or
children’s ministry or youth? (Every one of those
departments is in desperate need for more help
right now – but are we OK to just come to church
and go through the motions?)
Are we willing to make space???
We know for sure they added the room after she
requested it because verse 11 says,
11 One day when Elisha came, he went up to his room
and lay down there.
This Family was able to build up & add on because
they had a firm foundation.
The taller the building the deeper the foundation!
2 foot vs. 20..30..40 feet deep
They had to take the time to prepare.
But the TIME, the Patience may have been
frustrating.
I truly believe that God wants to dwell in our church,
in our city but:
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Do we have the foundation capable of handling
the weight of God’s presence or glory?
to see miracles; we have to make space for the
Holy Spirit to occupy our lives!
If revival were to break out, could we handle day
after day or week after week… or would we say, I
don’t have enough space/room in my life for that?
Back to the story: They didn’t just make a room and
move the man of God in…They furnished it.
What they placed in the room symbolically represents
what we must have in place to create an environment
ready for the Holy Spirit to move in our lives.
Going back to vs 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.”
Bed (Picture) The Bed represents a place of rest.
No matter how hard we try to find rest…there will
be no habitation until we rest in Him.
I believe the bed represents a place where we
spend extended time with God (8 hours vs. 30
minutes in a chair)
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We must learn to abide in Him.
Table (Picture) – Represents a place of communion, a
place of connection.
A place to be fed. A place of fellowship.
Sometimes we want habitation but don’t want to take
the time to be fed, to commune, or to fellowship with
Jesus.
Holy Spirit desires to be in relationship with us.
At this table you can’t “eat and run.” John
21:12 Jesus saith unto them, Come and dine.
Come and dine…Spend some time.
This isn’t fast food – a burger we eat while we’re
driving down the road
It’s making time to sit & eat & fellowship
Chair (Picture) –Represents a place of total support.
Total dependence on its ability to hold me up. I’d
guess that no one looked to make sure there were
four legs on your seats before you sat down.
Sometimes we rely on man more that we rely on
God.
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In order for there to be habitation we must come
to the place where we rely on Him to hold us up.
Total dependency. “Daily, Desperate Dependence”
Where we don’t expect our reputation, our
contacts, our education, our intelligence, our gifts
or our abilities to hold us up… but rather rely
solely on God.
Too many of us do our own thing and then ask God
to support it by showing up.
Lamp (Picture) – Represents The Word. Illumination.
We can’t have permanent habitation without the
light of the Word.
God’s Word brings direction, “Thy Word is lamp unto
my feet.”
Some of us are waiting on a prophetic word to call
and tell us what to do.
“But Sometimes we Don’t need a Word, when we
have a Verse!” - Garry Bryant
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Once we’ve done the preparation (made space for
the Holy Spirit) we are in position to receive His
promises!
Let’s look at the story again…
11 One day when Elisha came, he went up to his room
and lay down there. 12 He said to his servant Gehazi,
“Call the Shunammite.” So, he called her, and she
stood before him.
13 Elisha said to him, “Tell her, ‘You have gone to all
this trouble for us. Now what can be done for you?
Can we speak on your behalf to the king or the
commander of the army?’”
She replied, “I have a home among my own people.”
14 “What can be done for her?” Elisha asked.
Gehazi said, “She has no son, and her husband is old.”
15 Then Elisha said, “Call her.” So he called her, and
she stood in the doorway.
16 “About this time next year,” Elisha said, “you will
hold a son in your arms.”
“No, my lord!” she objected. “Please, man of God,
don’t mislead your servant!”
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17 But the woman became pregnant, and the next year
about that same time she gave birth to a son, just as
Elisha had told her.
God has a season for you if you make room for him.
No other barren woman in the whole city was given
this promise – only the one who made space for
God.
When you make space for God in your house,
there is an appointed time when what was
impossible for you, now becomes possible
God is never late when you make room for HIM
IN FACT, that’s when God’s time clock begins to
click
What is it that God might be wanting to do for
you, but He is waiting on you to make space/make
room for Him?
Make Space! Make space in your plans for God.
Make space in your day for God. Make space in
your calendar for God and see just what kind of
miraculous things He will begin to do for you!
Back to the story…
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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.
How many of you know that Life Happens!
Sometimes Dreams Die! Marriages Die… Careers
die… Health declines
God, why did you let this happen?
What a disappointment this was.
She didn’t know what else to do.
IMPORTANT: She had a whole house to lay him in
But she took him into the room that hosted the
Holy man- the space that inhabited the presence
of God.
Let me ask: What do you do when life disappoints
you? Where do you take those things that that
look dead or dying?
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SpiritLife Church, our community is in ruins, dead
men walking, addicts, depressed, suicidal, diseased,
lost, the forgotten, abused, outcasts, sick, wounded,
rich & poor, educated & uneducated.
They are Spiritually DEAD!
They’re waiting for someone, to carry them into
the space that hosts the presence of the Lord.
The story continues as she travels to Elisha and
says, “ 28 “Did I ask you for a son, my lord?” she
said. “Didn’t I tell you, ‘Don’t raise my hopes’?”
I can hear the voice of so many in this woman’s
question. “I didn’t ask for this!...Don’t build my
hopes, just leave me alone to live in my misery and
disappointment. I’d rather live an unfulfilled life
than to keep hoping and waiting for something better.
Honestly, sometimes I’ve probably felt like that when
it comes to revival, How many times have we heard,
“God is getting ready to… God is about to…” And at
some point we want to say, “I’ve heard it enough,
Don’t tease me… don’t even say it… or “Here we go
again…”
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After some negotiations… he agreed to go back to the
house and up to his room.
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 on the bed and stretched out on
him once more. The boy sneezed seven times and
opened his eyes.
How many of us are willing to get down like that?
He was that desperate!
Got on bed, laid on him, mouth to mouth, eyes
to eyes, hands to hands, stretched out on him
Walk back and forth and then do it again.
Too many Christians don’t want to get dirty.
Don’t want to get “Too Close”.
Don’t want to look weird.
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But when God breathes on a “Body”, when a
church is trained for growth…. Everything
Changes.
People come to see what’s going on.
Conclusion: Musicians Come
36 Elisha summoned Gehazi and said, “Call the
Shunammite.” And he did. When she came, he said,
“Take your son.” 37 She came in, fell at his feet and
bowed to the ground. Then she took her son and went
out.
I believe that the Lord is looking for a church that
will
Be open to do things differently
a church that will make space for the Holy Spirit,
get uncomfortable and
maybe even a little weird.
A church that will trust God for the Space He
requires!
That’s where His Glory will dwell.
Church, it’s “move in day” and the HS wants to
come in to stay.
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He’s not looking for an Air bnb. He’s looking for a
furnished room.
He’s looking for a man or a woman willing to re-
arrange their whole lives, to fall on their faces
before the King.
NOTE: No Births and No Miracles took place until her
home was opened with plenty of space to host the
presence of God.
Closing: Today, there may be two kinds of people
here:
1. That honest person that says, “Not only have I
NOT made space for the Glory of the Lord, but
I’ve actually pushed Him out.”
a. In our frustration, we may have been this
person.
2. The other that says “my life is so full, but, if He
will give me the GRACE to make a SPACE,
a. if He will anoint me for this new season
of new birth and miracles,
b. I’m ready to raise the roof and make
space.”