When we first meet the woman of Shunem in 2 Kings 4, she’s got a lot going for her. She’s hospitable, welcoming the prophet Elijah into her home for a meal every time he passes through town. She also has resources—enough to build an addition onto her home for Elijah to use as he comes and goes!
She’s comfortable enough that when Elijah asks what the Lord can do for her in return, she basically tells him she’s got everything she needs. She lives among her own people, and she’s doing fine.
There is one thing she doesn’t have, though. Her husband is old, and she has no son. Elijah knows this, even though she neglects to mention it. Through the mercy and provision of the Lord, the Shunammite woman has a child. He grows up until one day, he falls deathly ill. Her hope quickly running out, the woman goes directly to Elijah.
She bypasses his servant with an “all is well” on her way to tell the real story to the man of God. And that’s when we see her break, finally. I didn’t ask for this, she says. She had pled with Elijah not to lie to her when he told her she would have a son. And now, she’s lost him.
But she hasn’t. Elijah goes back to the Shunammite’s house. The boy is healed. His mother is shown again that God is powerful and merciful to save and deliver. And we get two beautiful reminders of how God handles our deepest desires:
First, he sees them. Even when we would prefer to keep hidden the things that are most painful, God knows the desires of our hearts. From the outside, it looked like the Shunammite woman had everything. But God knew the one thing she wouldn’t say out loud.
Second, not only does God know those desires, he holds them in his hands. The Shunammite woman knew exactly where to go to plead for her son’s deliverance. Not her husband. Not Elijah’s servant. She goes straight to the prophet and doesn’t leave his side until he agrees to follow her back to Shunem, where he heals her son.
God saw, and God saved. He does the same for us, knowing the desires of our hearts even when we are afraid to name them. He sees them, and he holds them in his hands.
Meredith Flynn is a wife, mother of two, and writer living in Springfield. She and her family are active members of Delta Church.