When the Blessing Breaks

Trusting God When the Gift Doesn't Go as Planned

It's easy to thank God when everything is going your way.

When you're in the starting lineup. When you're hitting well. When you finally get the opportunity you've been praying for.

But what happens when that blessing suddenly disappears?

What happens when the very thing you thanked God for becomes the thing you're crying about?

In 2 Kings 4:8–37, we meet a woman from Shunem who regularly welcomed the prophet Elisha into her home. She even convinced her husband to build a room for him to stay in whenever he visited.

She wasn't looking for anything in return. She was simply being generous.

But Elisha learned that she had no son and that her husband was old. He told her that within a year, she would be holding a son in her arms.

And that's exactly what happened.

God gave her a blessing she hadn't even asked for.

But years later, everything changed.

Her son became sick and died while sitting on her lap.

Imagine that.

The same child she had celebrated. The same child she had watched grow. The same child who had been such an unexpected blessing was suddenly gone.

Sometimes the hardest thing to lose is something you know God allowed you to receive.

When the Game Doesn't Go as Planned

I think about how often this happens in baseball.

You finally make the team you've been working toward, and then you get injured.

You earn a starting position, and suddenly you're back on the bench.

You receive an opportunity that seems like an answered prayer, only to watch it disappear.

And you start asking God questions.

Why would You give me this opportunity just to take it away?

Why would You allow me to get this far if this is how it's going to end?

I don't think those questions automatically mean your faith is weak.

The Shunammite woman was devastated too.

When she finally reached Elisha, she asked him:

2 Kings 4:28 (NIV)

"Did I ask you for a son, my lord? Didn't I tell you, 'Don't raise my hopes'?"

She wasn't pretending everything was fine.

She was hurting.

But here's what stands out to me.

Her pain didn't stop her from seeking God.

Faith Doesn't Mean You Won't Hurt

The woman refused to leave Elisha, and he returned with her. Elisha prayed to the Lord, and God miraculously restored her son's life.

It's an incredible ending.

But we need to understand something.

Not every injury heals the way we want.

Not every lost opportunity comes back.

Not every story ends with the blessing being restored.

And that doesn't mean God has abandoned us.

Faith isn't believing that God will always give us the ending we want. It's trusting Him even when He doesn't.

That's something every Christian athlete needs to understand.

Because eventually baseball will disappoint you.

You might lose your position, your opportunity, or even your ability to keep playing.

But your relationship with God was never supposed to depend on how your baseball career turned out.

Trust the Giver, Not Just the Gift

I want you to think about something.

Are you following Jesus because of who He is, or because of what you hope He'll give you?

There's nothing wrong with praying for success, opportunities, or healing.

But what happens when God's answer doesn't look like what you expected?

The Shunammite woman's story reminds us that we can bring our pain, confusion, and disappointment to God.

We don't have to pretend we're okay.

And we don't have to understand everything to keep trusting Him.

So work hard. Chase your dreams. Be thankful for every opportunity baseball gives you.

But remember that your greatest blessing isn't a scholarship, a starting position, or a professional contract.

It's knowing Jesus.

It's easy to thank God for the blessing.

But will you still trust Him when the blessing breaks?