8 One day Elisha went to the town of Shunem. A wealthy woman lived there, and she urged him to come to her home for a meal. After that, whenever he passed that way, he would stop there for something to eat. 9 She said to her husband, “I am sure this man who stops in from time to time is a holy man of God. 10 Let’s build a small room for him on the roof and furnish it with a bed, a table, a chair, and a lamp. Then he will have a place to stay whenever he comes by.” 11 One day Elisha returned to Shunem, and he went up to this upper room to rest. 12 He said to his servant Gehazi, “Tell the woman from Shunem I want to speak to her.” When she appeared, 13 Elisha said to Gehazi, “Tell her, ‘We appreciate the kind concern you have shown us. What can we do for you? Can we put in a good word for you to the king or to the commander of the army?’” “No,” she replied, “my family takes good care of me.”
14 Later Elisha asked Gehazi, “What can we do for her?” Gehazi replied, “She doesn’t have a son, and her husband is an old man.” 15 “Call her back again,” Elisha told him. When the woman returned, Elisha said to her as she stood in the doorway, 16 “Next year at this time you will be holding a son in your arms!”
“No, my lord!” she cried. “O man of God, don’t deceive me and get my hopes up like that.” 17 But sure enough, the woman soon became pregnant. And at that time the following year she had a son, just as Elisha had said.
18 One day when her child was older, he went out to help his father, who was working with the harvesters. 19 Suddenly he cried out, “My head hurts! My head hurts!” His father said to one of the servants, “Carry him home to his mother.” 20 So the servant took him home, and his mother held him on her lap. But around noontime he died. 21 She carried him up and laid him on the bed of the man of God, then shut the door and left him there. 22 She sent a message to her husband: “Send one of the servants and a donkey so that I can hurry to the man of God and come right back.” 23 “Why go today?” he asked. “It is neither a new moon festival nor a Sabbath.” But she said, “It will be all right.” 24 So she saddled the donkey and said to the servant, “Hurry! Don’t slow down unless I tell you to.” 25 As she approached the man of God at Mount Carmel, Elisha saw her in the distance. He said to Gehazi, “Look, the woman from Shunem is coming. 26 Run out to meet her and ask her, ‘Is everything all right with you, your husband, and your child?’” “Yes,” the woman told Gehazi, “everything is fine.”
27 But when she came to the man of God at the mountain, she fell to the ground before him and caught hold of his feet. Gehazi began to push her away, but the man of God said, “Leave her alone. She is deeply troubled, but the Lord has not told me what it is.” 28 Then she said, “Did I ask you for a son, my lord? And didn’t I say, ‘Don’t deceive me and get my hopes up’?” 29 Then Elisha said to Gehazi, “Get ready to travel[a]; take my staff and go! Don’t talk to anyone along the way. Go quickly and lay the staff on the child’s face.” 30 But the boy’s mother said, “As surely as the Lord lives and you yourself live, I won’t go home unless you go with me.” So Elisha returned with her. 31 Gehazi hurried on ahead and laid the staff on the child’s face, but nothing happened. There was no sign of life. He returned to meet Elisha and told him, “The child is still dead.”
32 When Elisha arrived, the child was indeed dead, lying there on the prophet’s bed. 33 He went in alone and shut the door behind him and prayed to the Lord. 34 Then he lay down on the child’s body, placing his mouth on the child’s mouth, his eyes on the child’s eyes, and his hands on the child’s hands. And as he stretched out on him, the child’s body began to grow warm again! 35 Elisha got up, walked back and forth across the room once, and then stretched himself out again on the child. This time the boy sneezed seven times and opened his eyes! 36 Then Elisha summoned Gehazi. “Call the child’s mother!” he said. And when she came in, Elisha said, “Here, take your son!” 37 She fell at his feet and bowed before him, overwhelmed with gratitude. Then she took her son in her arms and carried him downstairs.
...so this scripture popped up in something I was reading today, and I'm still attempting to process the potential application in my own life of the meaning I'm getting out of it (if THAT made any sense...). So I'm going to ask you to bear with me as I attempt to sort out my jumbled thoughts...
This woman was pretty great. She sensed that Elisha was a man of God and opened her home to him, to the extent of building a room on top of her house for him to be able to rest when he passed through town. She was humble, hospitable and kind. Elisha was so touched by her kindness, he asked her what she wanted...ANYTHING that she wanted would be given to her. And she says she needs nothing...all she has is sufficient for her. Then Elisha finds out that she is barren, yet she yearns for a child. So he tells her she will have a child by that time the next year. And she does.
To me, this is pretty incredible. We all have dreams and desires within us. Some that are short sighted and truthfully, not that important. And some that we feel the need for and desire for within our very bones. The latter is what I believe this woman's desire for a child was like. After all of this time, she is finally rewarded with a child. Having my children, although strenuous at times, has been one of the most incredible blessings of my life. I've always wanted kids (perhaps not as quickly and close together as they were given to me, but desired them, nonetheless). I've always know that if I wasn't able to have kids, I would feel a great sense of loss. I can only imagine how this woman was feeling. Then Elisha shows up and basically grants her wish. Her reaction, like many of us who have held on to a dream that we've virtually given up on, was doubt. (v.16 “No, my lord!” she cried. “O man of God, don’t deceive me and get my hopes up like that.”)
But her doubts were squelched a year later when she was blessed with a beautiful baby boy. Several years go by and her son grows into a young man. Until one day, while working in the fields with his father, he is struck with pains in his head (possibly heat stroke or an anyerism?) and is rushed home, where he dies in his mother's arms.
WHAT?!?!?!
The kid dies in his mother's arms?? The same mother who had yearned for him, desired him, undoubtedly prayed for him, now holds her dead child on her lap.Why would a God who gave her this incredible blessing allow it to DIE right in her arms?? What kind of sense would that make? Instead of skipping to the wonderful miracle part of the story, we're going to take a slight detour here...We all have dreams, aspirations, callings, ministries, etc...Many of those line up with what God has called us to do with our lives, that will ultimately give Him glory. These ministries, callings, dreams, aspirations, and so forth, are placed on our hearts by God himself. However, so many times, our stupid human nature takes over, and we allow our calling, our dream, our ministry to come before the God who called us. So many times we wonder why God allowed us to have an incredible, on fire ministry that fizzled out right before our eyes. Or to see a dream that we have had for years, finally come to fruition, only to die in our arms after only holding it for a little while. Could it be because we allowed that dream or ministry to become our god? That we have allowed something, albeit wonderful and probably good, to stand in the way of our focus and love for our Creator.
It may be hard for us to understand or deal with in the midst of it, but knowing that our God always has a plan and a purpose for everything He allows us to go through, should bring us comfort in dealing with times such as these. In my own life there have been times where I have put my kids, my husband, my ministry before the Lord. I've been blessed that so far, He hasn't seen fit to take those things away from me to remind me of where my focus needs to be. Is there something in your life that you're placing before the Lord? Something that maybe was initially intended for good, and to bring God glory, but somehow began to be more about you, and taking your eyes off of the One who created you? Have you had a dream die in your arms and then asked God, as the woman from Shunem asked Elisha, "Didn’t I say, ‘Don’t deceive me and get my hopes up’"?
It's always easier for us to blame God, and make Him out to be the "bad guy who took something really good away from us". But maybe, just maybe, there's something good coming after it. Maybe our miracle comes after, so that we don't lose sight of the One thing that means more than anything. Our Lord. Our Creator.
But what do I know?
It may be hard for us to understand or deal with in the midst of it, but knowing that our God always has a plan and a purpose for everything He allows us to go through, should bring us comfort in dealing with times such as these. In my own life there have been times where I have put my kids, my husband, my ministry before the Lord. I've been blessed that so far, He hasn't seen fit to take those things away from me to remind me of where my focus needs to be. Is there something in your life that you're placing before the Lord? Something that maybe was initially intended for good, and to bring God glory, but somehow began to be more about you, and taking your eyes off of the One who created you? Have you had a dream die in your arms and then asked God, as the woman from Shunem asked Elisha, "Didn’t I say, ‘Don’t deceive me and get my hopes up’"?
It's always easier for us to blame God, and make Him out to be the "bad guy who took something really good away from us". But maybe, just maybe, there's something good coming after it. Maybe our miracle comes after, so that we don't lose sight of the One thing that means more than anything. Our Lord. Our Creator.
But what do I know?
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