2 Kings 4:8 -16
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.
She said to her husband, “I know that this man who often comes our way is a holy man of God.
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.”
One day when Elisha came, he went up to his room and lay down there.He said to his servant Gehazi, “Call the Shunammite.” So he called her, and she stood before him. 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.”
“What can be done for her?” Elisha asked. Gehazi said, “She has no son, and her husband is old. Then Elisha said, “Call her.” So he called her, and she stood in the doorway. “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!”
From the response of this woman, it is obvious that her childlessness was not a lifestyle choice. It seems having children would have been a dream come true for her, yet she dared not hope for it.
I can imagine that this woman, like any other young girl, had grown up imagining how one day she would be a mother. I picture her as she played with her dolls, imitating the parent she would be someday. And during her teenage years, she probably speculated about how she would raise her children. As a young woman, when she walked past the park and saw mothers with their young ones, she may have pictured herself in a few years to come. Finally as a newlywed, she possibly even discussed baby names with her husband and envisioned how their family would be.
Unfortunately, all these dreams were shattered when she learnt that she was barren. At that point, like any other God-fearing woman in her shoes, she would have Prayed and asked God to grant her a child. Each time she would take her sacrifice to the Temple, she earnestly hoped that one day God would see her efforts and hear her cry. She probably Prayed fervently day and night, begging and pleading with God, that by some miracle she would one day conceive. Had there been Prayer bands and all night vigils in those days, she would have attended all of them, presenting her barrenness before the Lord, pleading her case and boldly claiming each promise in His word.
Unfortunately for her, all this was to no avail. Despite her innumerable efforts, countless Prayers and insurmountable faith, her situation did not change, if anything, it worsened as her husband grew older.
Exhausted and beat down by walking down paths that always lead her to a dead-end, she eventually stopped trying. Perhaps she was angry, disappointed and frustrated at first, but it all turned to complacency and contentment as she accepted her fate of dying without any offspring. She stopped longing, dreaming and desperately yearning for a child that she knew she would never have. So by the time she encounters Elisha, she is no longer disillusioned by this shattered dream of her youthful days.
She no longer presents this petition before God, nor does she bother dropping it in the Prayer request box; she even quit seeking medical assistance and just learnt to live with it. She ended the fruitless daydreams and no longer entertained the idea of having a child. She realized that if she did not hope, she would not be disappointed, so she stopped hoping and let go off that once cherished dream.
Perhaps there are situations in your life, where like this woman, you used to hope and dream, only to end up disappointed. You unceasingly Prayed to the Lord, but He never seemed to come to your aid. Eventually, you resigned to a life without that hope and you have let go off the dream. Unfavorable as it is, you have become content with your circumstance and you dare not aspire for more, because you know how that always ends – in pain and utter heartbreak..
Does this situation sound familiar to you? .. Let me tell you a little more in Don’t Die in Winter…. Part 2…
Shawn says
Hey.
I really like this article. I can’t seem to find ‘part 2’ when will it be coming?
Blessings,
‘By His Grace, For His Glory!’
Miriam says
Hie Shawn,. Here ius the link to part two:) https://www.womensetapart.com/dont-die-in-winter-part-2/