It must have been strange, housing a man of God. They're known to do unsettling things from time to time. Like wearing yokes and chasing down kings. Or marrying prostitutes. Or eating paper.
But in Shunem, Elisha, the man of God, had a place to lay his head, because a woman there had asked her husband to set aside a room for him.
She asked nothing in return. Even when prompted, she had no requests.
But the Lord loved her, and so He revealed the unspoken desire of her heart to the man He had placed in her house -- and she was promised a son.
The protest starts immediately: "No, my lord," she objected. "Don't mislead your servant, O man of God!" (2 Kings 4:16)
He did not, of course, mislead her; but how long had she dared to hope for a child, and been met only with disappointment? So long, it seems, that she would not only refuse to ask, she would beg Elisha to not even offer her hope anymore.
"Hope deferred makes the heart sick..." (Proverbs 13:12)
Hope.
I heard the word yesterday, followed by a brief discussion about those who do not hope, those who expect little so that they will not face disappointment.
How well I know the Shunammite woman -- because I am that woman.
Stop hoping, stop expecting, and thereby eliminate all risk of hurting? Seems logical, doesn't it?
But without risk, where is the value?
She got her son -- got him, and lost him.
He died. Too young, and in her arms.
She immediately sought out Elisha. It is unclear from the story the purpose of her visit, but whether she went in faith or in anger, we hear it again: "Did I ask you for a son, my lord? Didn't I tell you, 'Don't raise my hopes'?" (2 Kings 4:28)
Why would you give him to me only to take him away? Why would you tease me like this? It's cruel -- and it's exactly what I was trying to avoid in the first place.
Had she spent the past years with her son rejoicing in the gift she'd been given -- or had she been awaiting this moment the entire time, convinced it was too good and beautiful to last?
I've no idea -- but I know what my tendencies are.
What if we loved the gifts we had, instead of anxiously waiting for them to be snatched out of our hands?
Of course, the story doesn't end there. You see, one of those unsettling things men of God do from time to time is raise the dead.
With Yahweh, the end of the story is never death and taking and loss, but it is always life.
"Lazarus's sickness will not end in death," but it did include it (John 11:4).
It is not always in the way we think, and not always quite so literal -- but He is always a Giver. Even when His hand seems to take, it gives back even more.
"And I will hope in Your Name, for Your Name is good" (Psalm 52:9).
Hope only disappoints when it is in the wrong things.
When our hope is in Him...we need never fear being let down.
Our Savior raises the dead. He heals the lame. He calls things that are not as though they were (Romans 4:17). And He loves us.
We can dare to hope in such a One. We can place all our trust in One so good and loving and true and never fear disappointment, because He Himself is our greatest reward.
"Hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out His love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom He has given us" (Romans 5:5).
Whatever else happens, we always have His love.
We always have Him.
And that alone is reason to boldly and recklessly hope.
So let us ask for the impossible. Let us ask Him what He would have us do, and then expect Him to come through for us. Let us place our hope in Jesus Christ, the One who never disappoints.
Father, teach me to hope.
