Heart Attacks Pt. 3 - Hope Resisted
Introduction
There are 5 principalities that we are assigned to confront and drive out of our body and region. The first was isolation. We talked about how we need each other. God designed us for one another. We then confronted poverty. We now assault hopelessness. These principalities are in cahoots. They are cohorts, comrades, sidekicks. They work to layer their attacks to get you to lose heart. We echo the cry of David in Psalms 27 . . . I am about to lose heart. They know if your heart is lost then your hope will soon follow. That cry seems to be common in believers today even though Paul, in Romans 15:13, says "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." What should be common in us is hope and yet so many are so overwhelmed and so beat up that hope has given way to hopelessness.
Again the passage of Scripture today shows these principalities cooperating.
Text: 2 Kings 4:8-31
One day Elisha passed through Shunem. A leading lady of the town talked him into stopping for a meal. And then it became his custom: Whenever he passed through, he stopped by for a meal. “I’m certain,” said the woman to her husband, “that this man who stops by with us all the time is a holy man of God. Why don’t we add on a small room upstairs and furnish it with a bed and desk, chair and lamp, so that when he comes by he can stay with us?” And so it happened that the next time Elisha came by he went to the room and lay down for a nap. Then he said to his servant Gehazi, “Tell the Shunammite woman I want to see her.” He called her and she came to him. Through Gehazi Elisha said, “You’ve gone far beyond the call of duty in taking care of us; what can we do for you? Do you have a request we can bring to the king or to the commander of the army?”She replied, “Nothing. I’m secure and satisfied in my family.” Elisha conferred with Gehazi: “There’s got to be something we can do for her. But what?”Gehazi said, “Well, she has no son, and her husband is an old man.” “Call her in,” said Elisha. He called her and she stood at the open door. Elisha said to her, “This time next year you’re going to be nursing an infant son.”“O my master, O Holy Man,” she said, “don’t play games with me, teasing me with such fantasies!” The woman conceived. A year later, just as Elisha had said, she had a son. The child grew up. One day he went to his father, who was working with the harvest hands, complaining, “My head, my head!” His father ordered a servant, “Carry him to his mother.” The servant took him in his arms and carried him to his mother. He lay on her lap until noon and died. She took him up and laid him on the bed of the man of God, shut him in alone, and left. She then called her husband, “Get me a servant and a donkey so I can go to the Holy Man; I’ll be back as soon as I can.” “But why today? This isn’t a holy day—it’s neither New Moon nor Sabbath.” She said, “Don’t ask questions; I need to go right now. Trust me.” She went ahead and saddled the donkey, ordering her servant, “Take the lead—and go as fast as you can; I’ll tell you if you’re going too fast.” And so off she went. She came to the Holy Man at Mount Carmel. The Holy Man, spotting her while she was still a long way off, said to his servant Gehazi, “Look out there; why, it’s the Shunammite woman! Quickly now. Ask her, ‘Is something wrong? Are you all right? Your husband? Your child?’” She said, “Everything’s fine.” But when she reached the Holy Man at the mountain, she threw herself at his feet and held tightly to him. Gehazi came up to pull her away, but the Holy Man said, “Leave her alone—can’t you see that she’s in distress? But God hasn’t let me in on why; I’m completely in the dark.” Then she spoke up: “Did I ask for a son, master? Didn’t I tell you, ‘Don’t tease me with false hopes’?” (“Did I ask you for a son, my lord?” she said. “Didn’t I tell you, ‘Don’t raise my hopes’?”) He ordered Gehazi, “Don’t lose a minute—grab my staff and run as fast as you can. If you meet anyone, don’t even take time to greet him, and if anyone greets you, don’t even answer. Lay my staff across the boy’s face.” The boy’s mother said, “As sure as God lives and you live, you’re not leaving me behind.” And so Gehazi let her take the lead, and followed behind. But Gehazi arrived first and laid the staff across the boy’s face. But there was no sound—no sign of life. Gehazi went back to meet Elisha and said, “The boy hasn’t stirred.”
You may read this account and see no combination of attack. But this woman was trapped in poverty. The Word says she was well off but she was poor. She had money but she had no son. Rich in resources impoverished in relationship. Elevated in status but broke in stigma of childlessness.
It is then that Elisha comes on the scene. His presence exposes the existence of hopelessness. It is obvious to me that even on Sunday's people have the tendency to hide hopelessness well. It is as equally obvious that when we get into the presence of God's people that He has a habit of revealing our hopelessness! That is what happens here. This seemingly all together woman when asked if she had a need would not communicate the need. She wouldn't raise her hand. She wouldn't approach the altar. Fake smile plastered on her face to hide her broken heart. However, she has her hopeless condition exposed. Elisha prophecies that this barren woman will have a child. The description of the situation exposes how hopeless it was . . . her husband is old. Her response to the prophecy even further reveals the hopelessness that has gripped her heart. "Please don't play games with me!" In fact, in one version it reads . . . She objected and said "No my lord!" Hopelessness has become so normal to her that she objects when she hears the promise.
1. Hopelessness can cause you to resist and in severe cases even refuse promises.
Elisha is a proven prophet. She has already recognized that by her willingness to provide accommodations. However, she had so lost hope that when she hears a proclamation from a man who she knows accurately speaks for God, she resists the promise. Hopelessness will cause you to believe promises for everyone else but yourself. The words that Elisha speaks are words that she had probably longed to hear, begged to hear, dreamed about but due to hopelessness these words are now cast aside as fantasy.
We know the words spoke to her hopelessness because later when she goes to the prophet for help she says, "you raised my hopes!" She didn't laugh but close. Reminds me of the story of Sarah who also received this type of word and had so succumbed to hopelessness that she dismissed the promise with laughter.
Her objection speaks to us. How many of us, who have learned to cover our hopelessness with a smile, have given up to the point that we can't believe, accept or expect a promise? We hear the promise but our loss of hope forces us to reject it. Hopelessness sets in so that I can believe the promise I heard about you but the promise I heard about me is summarily dismissed. What we see in this account is that Elisha spoke the truth! Hopelessness can erode our faith so that we come to the place where we actually hear truth and we can't distinguish between reality and fantasy.
You hear us Sunday after Sunday declare that God is able, God is proven, God is truth and then you get a promise and hopelessness says, "that is only true for the other person. That can't happen for me." You literally battle because you get the promise of healing, wholeness, healthy relationship, breakthrough, resources and then it is almost like you have an out of body experience because as bad as you want to say, "yes!" you hear the words "no lord" come out of your mouth. Hopeless must be uprooted or you will reject truth!
2. Hopelessness will tempt you to settle for a substitute.
This woman teaches us a powerful lesson. She teaches us that in the middle of a hopeless moment we must guard against settling for less than. She runs for help. Elisha assigns his intern/servant Gehazi to go to her and find out what was wrong. Her hope is at stake. She refuses to settle. Seems a little forward. Shouldn't she just be thankful and take what she can get. Why inconvenience Elisha? Why not just accept his substitute. It is a good thing she didn't because try as he might to act like Elisha the proof was in the pudding! Gehazi does his best Elisha impersonation but comes up short. This woman somehow knew when you need Batman you can't be satisfied with Robin!
How many of us, because we have allowed hopelessness to strangle us, settle for substitutes? Promised healing and we become satisfied with managing illness! Promised life more abundant and years of less than cause us to lose hope and settle for life. Promise of fulfillment and we settle for a warm body so that we aren't alone on a Friday night. Promise of peace and we settle for at least we didn't fight for the 3 days. One of the most often swallowed lies of hopelessness is "It will never change. It will always be this way!" That is the language of the hopeless! The question is not "how is it right now?" The question is "what is the promise?" Too many of us need a touch from Jesus and we settle for the touch of man, the momentary satisfaction of the purchase, the distraction of the distraction and instead of getting the life giving touch we end up with a substitute.
In hopeless moments you will always be tempted by a substitute. Hopelessness will get you to settle for "almost". This is what I have discovered ... Substitutes make the journey but they can't produce life. They promise life but leave you dead. This woman held out for the real deal and it saves her son's life. We must fight back against hopelessness and by doing so gain life! Hold on and hang on for the promised conclusion. Refuse to settle for a momentary pause when you have been promised complete and total restoration and healing.
How many sitting here today have become so hopeless that if I called your name and prophesied healing over you you would resist? How many sitting here today have become so hopeless that when someone takes the mic and says God is our provider that in your mind you relegate that truth to the person sitting 5 places down from you and so you fret and freak over how you are going to make it? How many hear God can restore but we wallow in loss as if that is a far fetched fantasy that can't happen in my situation?
