I hope your week isn’t as busy as mine. My granddaughter, Charlie, will celebrate her first birthday, and the party’s at my house.

Do you know what that means? If you guessed ‘major cleanup’ you’re right!

I’ve first cleared space for the cake. It’s an important part of our family’s celebrations and when something’s important, you make space for it. When I asked Charlie’s mother for the number of guests I could expect, she said, “You know.”

“No, Monique, I don’t know. How many people should I plan for?

“Well, I sent out some invitations.”

I’m interpreting that to mean ‘a houseful’ so I’m moving around a few things to make room.

Charlie and the people in her life are important to me, and, when people are important to you, you make room for them.

In the Bible, 2 Samuel 4 records the story of a woman and man from Shunem. Whenever the prophet Elisha came to town, he stopped at their home to eat. The woman, recognizing that he was a holy man of God, suggested to her husband that they build a room for Elisha to use when he visited Shunem. It was important to her to make room for the Spirit of God.

Elisha wanted to do something to repay the woman’s kindness. His servant reminded Elisha that the woman had no son and her husband was old. When Elisha told the woman that she would have a son, she objected, “Don’t mislead your servant, O man of God!”

A son was likely an old desire, a dead dream that she had abandoned. How many times had she seen other women cradle babies in their arms while her womb and arms remained empty?

How many times had she shared her dream only to be scoffed and told it would never happen?

Nevertheless, just like the prophet promised, the following year she gave birth to a son.

One day the boy was in the field with his father, complained of a terrible headache, and was brought to his mother who held him in her lap until he died.

What happens when your dream has been fulfilled, then there’s a problem that’s dropped in your lap, and instead of getting better, it gets much worse? Where do you go from there?

The Shunammite woman brought her son to the place in her home that she had reserved for the presence of God. She placed him in the Elisha’s room, shut the door, and raced to find the prophet.

Elisha first sent his servant to the boy, but nothing happened.

What do you do when prayer doesn’t work the first time?

You keep praying.

Elisha showed up, stretched his body over the boy’s — mouth to mouth, eye to eye, hand to hand. And in that action, I find a pattern when I’m praying for an area in my life that needs to be revived and restored. I strive to line myself up to the Spirit of God — mouth to mouth, eye to eye, hand to hand.

I say the things that He has said — the promises in His Word. I try to see things from His eternal perspective, taking my eyes off of the problem and on to the possibility. Then I pray for the discipline to do the things that He has given me to do and not become sidetracked or halted by the problem.

The boy sneezed seven times and opened his eyes. His mother came into the room, bowed to the ground, then picked up her son.

None of this would have happened had she not prepared a place in her home, her life and her heart for the Spirit of God. May we all do the same.

Ronny Michel may be reached at rmichel@rtconline.com.