Giver of life, restorer of hope

The life of Elisha, in many ways, parallels that of Elijah in terms of the miracles that he performed. 

At a guess, this list of miracles was noted to show that Elisha did indeed receive that double portion of Elijah’s spirit.

And in this story, like Elijah, Elisha raised a woman’s only son to life.

But I’m getting ahead of myself. 

This woman and her husband thought their chances for having a child were passed.

But they still had a deep love for God and did not let themselves grow bitter over their circumstances. 

Still, you get the feeling from the woman’s words to Elisha that she did feel an emptiness from not having a son. (2 Kings 4:16)

Yet out of her love for God, she desired to do something to help Elisha, and so she had her husband make a room just for Elisha to stay in whenever he happened to be in the area. 

And so Elisha asked what he could do for her. 

She probably thought that asking for a son was impossible, and since that was the only thing she really wanted, she told Elisha that she didn’t need anything.

But Elisha learned from his servant Gehazi that this couple had no son, and so he told her that they would have a son by the next year.  And God did as Elisha said.

But after several years, the child was in the fields with his father. Suddenly, he grew faint, and he eventually died in his mother’s arms.

Devastated, she went out to Elisha. 

Refusing to say anything to his servant, she went directly to him, pouring out her heart to him. 

Elisha returned to her home with her, and when his servant’s efforts to restore the boy failed, he himself went in and prayed for the boy. 

And by God’s grace, the boy’s life was restored.

In this passage, I think we find two truths. 

First, God is the giver of life. 

He did it twice.  Once in allowing the woman to give birth, and the second time in breathing life back into her son’s dead body.

In the same way, he also breathes life into us, not just once, but twice. 

He breathes life into us once at birth.  Then when we receive Jesus as our Savior, he breathes spiritual life into us. 

And in both cases, life is a gift.  It’s not something we can work for or attain.  It’s God-given. 

As Ephesians 2:8-9 says,

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith — and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God — not by works, so that no one can boast.

Second, God is the restorer of hope. 

God restored hope that this family’s name would be carried on with the birth of her son.  And he restored it again, when he brought the boy back to life.

God can do the same for us, restoring hope, when all hope seems to be gone.

I love a song that someone in my church wrote.  It says,

May the God of hope fill you with all joy
And peace as you trust in him,
That you may overflow with hope by the Holy Spirit’s power.

May the God of hope fill you up.
With joy and peace as you trust in him.

He works all things for good.
God of hope, you’re my hope.