Showers of Blessing - Raising Hopes
“Did I ask you for a son, my lord?” she said. “Didn’t I tell you, ‘Don’t raise my hopes’?” (2 Kings 4:28).
Almighty God, Omnipotent Father, You are the God who views the ends of the earth and sees everything under the heavens (Job 28:24)—even the deepest places of our hearts. David prayed, "all my longings lie open before You, Lord; my sighing is not hidden from You" (Psalm 38:9).
You alone know our defeated dreams, our silenced hopes, our abandoned prayers. You know our buried desires, our hidden aches, our deepest needs. You know all the yearnings of our soul, though like the Shunammite woman (2 Kings 4: 8-37) we fiercely guard them from scrutiny, and voice, and even consciousness.
We are familiar with the "defensive" in her disbelief and the "sensitive" in her skepticism as she reacted to Elisha's pronouncement, “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!” (2 Kings 4:16).
So we feel her deep pain when the child—the gift she dared not hope for except in her secret heart—is snatched away so quickly by death (2 Kings 4: 17-20). We commiserate with her wrenching complaint, “Did I ask you for a son, my lord?” she said. “Didn’t I tell you, ‘Don’t raise my hopes’?” (2 Kings 4:28).
Oh Father of comfort and compassion, You understand the scarred and wounded heart of scanty expectations—the heart that hesitates to trust, the heart that struggles to hope. And You certainly understand the pain and bitter distress (2 Kings 4:27) of hope that briefly ignites and then is quickly extinguished.
We pray for those needing the strength to hold on through the pain of dead dreams and bitter disillusionment. Bring us the courage to hope, the perspective to praise. Help us to trust Your plan when we can't see the way. Help us to believe You will work out our individual and collective circumstances according to Your good purpose.
Give us the grace to receive Your showers of blessing even when they mingle with our tears. Give us the faith to see that You are still the God who is a father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, who sets the lonely in families, and leads out the prisoners with singing (Psalm 68:5-6).
Heal broken hearts and make them dream again—hope again. Help us to look forward to the time as described by the people You called, When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion, we were like those who dreamed. Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy (Psalm 126:1-2).
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