Did You Stop Wanting It? Or Did You Just Get Tired of Being Disappointed?

My sis was recently telling me about a sermon she heard from Steven Furtick.

He was preaching about the Shunammite woman in 2 Kings 4, and something about the story hit me differently this time.

If you’re not familiar with her, let me give you a brief backstory.

The Shunammite woman had been incredibly kind to the prophet Elisha. Whenever he traveled through her town, she fed him, and eventually she and her husband even prepared a room in their home where he could stay.

One day, Elisha wanted to repay her kindness.

According to 2 Kings 4:13-17 in the NLT, Elisha asked what he could do for her.

And her response was basically: “I’m good, but thanks.”

But apparently, that wasn’t the whole story.

Because Elisha asked his servant Gehazi what could be done for her, and Gehazi pointed out something important:

She didn’t have a son, and her husband was an old man.

Then Elisha called her back and told her that by that time the following year, she would be holding a son.

At which point Steven Furtick made a comment that God sometimes likes to wait until we’re… Shriveled up. 😂

I have to admit. I laughed. And cringed. Sir, could we perhaps have chosen another adjective?

But once I got past the word choice, I understood exactly what he meant.

Sometimes God Seems to Wait Until the Very Last Minute

You know what I’m talking about.

When you’re older.
When you don’t feel quite as youthful anymore.
When a gray hair has appeared and brought several of its little friends.
When you notice a wrinkle and think, When did THAT get here?
When you’ve watched other people receive the thing you’ve been praying for.
When the timeline you imagined for your life has come and gone.

And sometimes, by the time God answers, you don’t even feel like the same person who originally prayed the prayer!

Maybe that’s part of what happened with the Shunammite woman.

We aren’t told exactly how long she’d wanted a child. But her reaction when Elisha told her she would have a son tells us something.

She didn’t respond with: “Yay!” She basically responded: “Please don’t play with me like that.“

In fact, 2 Kings 4:16 NLT records her saying:

“O man of God, don’t deceive me and get my hopes up like that.”

There it is.

Hope.

Maybe the issue wasn’t that she had never wanted a son. Maybe she’d simply learned how to live without expecting one.

And sis, I get it more than I’d like to admit.

Sometimes, by the time God answers your prayers, you don't even feel like the same person who originally prayed the prayer! #forsinglewomenonly Share on X

Sometimes You Bury What You Want

As a kid, I always loved the idea of having our house decorated with Christmas lights.

You know those houses that look extra magical during the holidays?

I wanted that.

But year after year, it never happened.

Eventually, childhood passed. I grew up.

Years later, my mom mentioned that my dad had fixed the electricity outside so that we could all decorate the house with Christmas lights.

And my response? I was actually a little confused. I basically said: We’re all grown now. He waited too late. I’m not interested in that anymore.

At least, that’s what I thought.

Then my younger brother, who is a good 10 years younger than me and perhaps considerably less jaded, decided to put Christmas lights outside their house.

And I’ll never forget seeing them lit up for the first time.

Something shifted inside of me.

It was almost like something woke up. Something I hadn’t even realized had gone to sleep.

I stood there looking at those lights and realized:

I lied to myself.

I did want them.

I had always wanted them. I had just wanted them at a time when they never came. So eventually, I stopped expecting them.

Then I convinced myself that because I had stopped expecting them, I had stopped wanting them.

But seeing those Christmas lights warmed something inside of me in a way I hadn’t expected.

That little girl was still in there. And she still loved the lights.

Have You Convinced Yourself You Don’t Want It Anymore?

Maybe you can relate.

Maybe your “Christmas lights” aren’t Christmas lights.

Maybe it’s marriage.
Maybe it’s motherhood.
Maybe it’s a career you’ve dreamed about.
Maybe it’s a business.
Maybe it’s owning your own home.
Maybe it’s reconciliation.
Maybe it’s ministry.
Maybe it’s traveling somewhere you’ve always wanted to go.
Maybe it’s having a close group of friends.
Maybe it’s something so personal that you’ve stopped mentioning it, even to God!

You wanted it once. You prayed about it. You hoped for it.

And then…Nothing.

So you adjusted. You learned how to keep moving. You built a good life around the empty space.

And that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

You should live while you wait, and you shouldn’t put your entire life on pause waiting for one prayer to be answered.

But there’s a difference between learning to be content and pretending you no longer desire something because you’re afraid of being disappointed again.

That’s where I want you to examine your heart.

There's a difference between learning to be content and pretending you no longer desire something because you're afraid of being disappointed again. #forsinglewomenonly Share on X

Dig It Back Up

Is there something you’ve buried?

Dig it up. Uncover it. Tell God about it again.

Not because you’re guaranteed to receive every single thing you ask for exactly the way you imagine it. Scripture doesn’t promise that.

But because disappointment shouldn’t force you into pretending with God.

Psalm 62:8 NLT tells you to pour out your heart to God.

Pour it out.

Not the edited or censored version.

Not: “Lord, whatever happens is fine, and I definitely don’t need that thing anymore anyway.“

Meanwhile, you care. Deeply.

Is there something you've buried? Dig it up. Uncover it. Tell God about it again. Disappointment shouldn't force you into pretending with God. #forsinglewomenonly Share on X

Tell Him.

“God, I still want this.”
“God, this still hurts.”
“God, I’m scared to hope again.”
“God, I don’t understand why You’ve made me wait.”
“God, I’m trying to trust You, but this is difficult.”

That’s prayer too.

Her Desire Was Hidden From People, Not From God

This may be my favorite part of the Shunammite woman’s story.

She didn’t ask Elisha for the child. She said she was fine. Yet God knew.

The desire might have been buried deep inside of her, but it wasn’t hidden from Him.

And when the appointed time came, 2 Kings 4:17 NLT tells us that she conceived and gave birth to a son just as Elisha had said.

The thing she’d apparently stopped asking for was still visible to God.

Delay doesn’t mean God is unaware. And His silence doesn’t mean He hasn’t heard you.

Don’t Let Disappointment Decide What You’re Allowed to Want

Sometimes you stop asking because you’re protecting yourself.

If you don’t hope, maybe it won’t hurt.
If you say you don’t care, maybe disappointment won’t sting as much.
If you convince yourself you never really wanted it, maybe you won’t have to grieve that you don’t have it.

I understand.

But disappointment doesn’t deserve that much authority over your heart.