11 Kings 4:13 And he said unto him, Say now unto her, Behold, thou hast been careful for us with all this care; what is to be done for thee? wouldest thou be spoken for to the king, or to the captain of the host? And she answered, I dwell among mine own people.
What this Shunemmite demonstrates here is quite an example for us all; to do good without any hidden agendas.
From John Gill’s expositions:
wouldest thou be spoken for to the king, or to the captain of the host?
that her husband might be promoted to some post in the court, or in the camp; intimating, that if either of these was agreeable, Elisha would speak on his behalf, having interest in both through his services in Edom:
and she answered, I will dwell among my own people
she was content and satisfied with her present state of life, and the situation she was in, and with her friends and neighbours she lived among, and did not care to remove, though it was to a higher rank of life, and to greater dignity and honour; and she had no suit to make to the king or general, nothing to complain of; and she had friends enough to speak for her, should she want any assistance.
From Matthew Henry: The Lord sees the secret wish which is suppressed in obedience to his will, and he will hear the prayers of his servants in behalf of their benefactors, by sending unasked-for and unexpected mercies;
This speaks right to us as when we are instructed to put God first and do His will joyfully even if there is something we would like to see “healed” or need an answer to. When we do His will we can trust that He takes care of all our needs, as this woman’s unspoken deep desire was granted!