Today is October 13.

May the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way.

Take a moment and quiet yourself. Take a deep breath. Welcome God’s presence. And say, “Come Holy Spirit.”

Today’s reading is from the book of 2 Kings, chapter 4.

15 Then Elisha said, “Call her.” So he called her, and she stood in the doorway. 16 “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!”

17 But the woman became pregnant, and the next year about that same time she gave birth to a son, just as Elisha had told her.

18 The child grew, and one day he went out to his father, who was with the reapers. 19 He said to his father, “My head! My head!”

His father told a servant, “Carry him to his mother.” 20 After the servant had lifted him up and carried him to his mother, the boy sat on her lap until noon, and then he died. 21 She went up and laid him on the bed of the man of God, then shut the door and went out.

22 She called her husband and said, “Please send me one of the servants and a donkey so I can go to the man of God quickly and return.” 28 “Did I ask you for a son, my lord?” she said. “Didn’t I tell you, ‘Don’t raise my hopes’?”

32 When Elisha reached the house, there was the boy lying dead on his couch. 33 He went in, shut the door on the two of them and prayed to the LORD. 34 Then he got on the bed and lay on the boy, mouth to mouth, eyes to eyes, hands to hands. As he stretched himself out on him, the boy’s body grew warm. 35 Elisha turned away and walked back and forth in the room and then got on the bed and stretched out on him once more. The boy sneezed seven times and opened his eyes.

Imagine for a moment being in the shoes of the woman in this story. She was childless and her husband was old. She faced an uncertain future. She would receive no social security benefits, and would have nobody to rely on. But Elisha prayed for her and announced to her the unimaginable— she would have a miracle child! “No, my lord, don’t mislead your servant.”

Maybe the words, "too good to be true," crossed her mind. And then the unthinkable happened. Her beloved son died. She goes to find Elisha and says, “Didn’t I tell you? Don’t raise my hopes!” As you think about her experience, think about something in your own life of something you’ve hoped for but didn’t see or received and then lost? How did you feel in that moment?

Disappointment is an emotion and we do not easily control our emotions. We can't actually control the disappointment we feel when we lose something, but we can choose how to respond in the midst of disappointment. As you listen to the passage again, think of a disappointment in your life right now, and ask what might it look like for you to choose your response?

In the Old Testament, ordinary people would have to appeal to God through powerful spiritual mediators—in this passage Elisha was called a Man of God. We know that because Jesus is our mediator, we can go straight to God through him and make our appeal. As you walk through your day today, is there an appeal that you’d like to make to God through your powerful mediator, Jesus? Approach his throne of grace with confidence today.

Music Credit:
"Expectation" - Vineyard Soul (YouTube)