Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1922-02-09

heaven, she must have been thank
full that she had taken the prophet
in, and entertained him.
How happy they were at break
fast one morning-the mother and
father and son. 1t was harvest time,
and the boy wanted to follow the
reapers and ride to the barn on
the wagonload lof hay. Great times
for a boy, those are! So he trudg-
ed off with his father, trying to
step in his footprints. Can't you
see him stretching his little legs
nearly off now?l Then the sun got
hotter, as only a Syrian sun can;
and the heat was intensified by the
great humidity caused by moisture
rising from the valley of Jezreel. He
complained of a violent headache,
and his father sent him home by
one of the servants. AT noon he
was dead from sunstroke, in his
mothers. lap! How little did they
think at breakfast that morning.!
Thousands of homes know the feel
ing vacancy that was theirs that
noon.
The lady had not had time to send
for her husband, and now she spared
him the anguish of her own heart,
for she dared to believe that the
prophet could restore the boy. She
lost no time. She sent for a mule
and driver and sent word where she
was going, and then she told the
servant to drive as hard as he could
and forgot she was behind him. The
twelve miles to Mt. Carmel We're
soon traversed, and before Gehazi
could stop her, she had put aside
all conventionalities and was cling
ing to Elisha's\ feet. God had NOT
revealed to him what was the mat
ter, so he waited patiently. He soon
saw.
Did I ask for a son? Did I not
say: DO not deceive me?' " she ask
ed. He knew then.
She was in earnest. She would
not accept GehaZi as substitute,
and it was we'll she did not. Elisha s
staff in Gehazi's hands was power
less. God could not use Gehazi; he
was smart, but he was sinner; he
was ana hypocrite.
EIisha's Task -.
1t was no easy task for Elisha,
There he found the child dead and
laid out on the bed in the chamber
provided for their prophet. There
was the heartbroken mother, who
had driven over mountain and val
ley tWenty-four miles as hard as she
could drive There he was-the sue
cessor Of Elijah; Elijah had restored
another wpman's son to her; this
woman was expecting her son to be
raised from the dead, too. What
could he do?
All! but there was God, the God
of Elijah. He had not changed. He
the room, and shut the door-within
were the corpse, the prophet, and
God. To him Elisha prayed.
Elisha's prayer prevailed-after a
while-but not, until certain condi-
tions had been met. His prayer was
very definite; he wanted that boy
restored to life. 1t was in solitude;
he was shut in with God. 1t was
persistent; lie walked to and fro; he
repeated what he had done. 1t was
costly; it was at the expenditure of
his own life's blood-he stretched
himself once and twice upon the
body of the child, until the child's
flesh became warm. Finally the an
swerl came; the child sneezed seven
times and opened his eyes!
Gehazi, at his masters command,
called the mother, who was so over
whelmed with gratitude that she
fell at Elisha's feet and bowed her
self to the ground before she even
thought of clasping that darling boy
in her arms again. Then she took
| him up in her arms and went out.
Was it worth while that she had