A Remarkable Life

Day two hundred eighty-one

“God never said doing His will would be easy, He only said it would be worth it.” ~ Joanne Shetler

2 Kings 2

The life of Elijah has been a whirlwind of activity! From the time he stepped out of nowhere to confront the king of Israel, to his adventures of faith at the dry brook and the widow's house, to his great victory on Mount Carmel and to his fall into and restoration from depression, Elijah's life has been tempestuous to say the least! Now, that life is about to end. Verse one of this chapter makes it clear that God is about to remove the prophet from this earth. He will leave here like he lived here; in a whirlwind!

This chapter also tells us about the transition from Elijah to Elisha as a prophet of God.  We will find out what it took for Elisha to obtain the double portion he asked for. What we learn from him is valuable in our own lives as well. Like Elisha, each of us has a ministry that rests upon us. If we are going to be as effective as we should be, then we too need the power of God’s Spirit. This chapter tells us how to go about getting the power of God in our lives.

Elisha made a spiritual request, he asked to receive a double portion of Elijah’s spirit (v 9). The request was not for twice the power that had rested on Elijah. The request was to be recognized as Elijah’s replacement. Of course, he had already been selected by God for that position (1 Kings 19:16).  He was asking that the same Spirit that had empowered the ministry of this great man of God be given to him as well. What kind of spirit was he asking for?

A Spirit Of Faith - Elijah learned to trust in the presence and power of God in this world. He knew that God was in absolute control of every situation. He walked by faith!

A Spirit Of Obedience - Elijah instantly and without question obeyed, even when the commands of God made no sense at all!

A Spirit Of Courage - His faith in God and his obedience to God combined to give him the courage to stand for God, even when others ran away.

We too should be asking for this same Spirit to be a part of our lives. 

Elisha is told that he has asked a “ hard thing”. In other words, it was beyond the power of Elijah to grant such a request. Only God could raise up prophets and give positions of power and influence. On the surface, Elisha’s request seems a little selfish. It seems as though he is asking for twice the power and twice the glory.  In truth, his request is most humble in nature. Elisha knows that Israel still needs a man of God to deliver the word of God and do the work of God. He also knows that if he is to be that man, then he needs power that he does not possess!

Elisha wasn’t asking for power, wealth or position. He was asking to be controlled by the Spirit of God. In fact, to be a dedicated, outspoken man of God during these times, was to live a life of constant danger. He was asking for divine power to accomplish the will of God. This request was not about pride, it was about necessity!

Elijah tells Elisha that if he is with him until he is taken out of this world, then he will have the thing for which he is asking (v 10). The idea here is that this blessing can be his, but Elisha must remain faithful until the end. It would have been far easier for Elisha to have stayed in one of the towns they passed through, but had he dropped out along the way, he would never have received the blessing he desired and desperately needed!

If there was ever a time when we needed people with a heart like Elisha’s, it is the time in which we live! We are not truly effective in what the Lord has asked us or called us to do until we learn that we will never be able to do it without His power in our lives. 

What would it be like to be filled with the Spirit like that? I don't know.  I have only expereinced glimpses of the Spirit in my life.  And to be honest, it has not always been easy when those moments have come into my life. The Spirit can lead you into some uncomfortable situations, and I am not yet at a place in my life where that doesn't bother me. 

The kind of blessing and power we are talking about requires total committment.  It is reserved for those who will pay the price in prayer and holiness before the Lord.  It can't be about pride, it has to be only about His work.  You have to prepare yourself for such a blessing.

Now we might not be prophet material, but the future demands that God’s servants be filled with the Spirit.  We need that same spirit of faith, obedience and courage that rested on Elijah to be within us!   If we are to fulfill our part in God's plan, then we need the power of God in our lives.  We need to prepare ourselves and ask for that portion of the Spirit and power that we can handle to be given to us. Like Elisha, we need to see the bigger picture and understand that without the Spirit we cannot be as useful as we should be. 

It was not easy for Elisha to recieve the double portion he asked for, he had to endure and persevere.  It is easy to dream about what we would do if we had the Spirit with us like Elisha did, but too many of us spend our lives thinking about it and not doing anything about it. Some of us never grow and progress like we need to.  Others catch the vision of God’s great work which must be done. They see the needs, they feel the tug, but they never get past the place of dreaming about what they might do. They never take the next step of making those dreams and visions realities.

We can't allow the opportunities to pass us by and hinder our progress.  Those who pay the price to stay with the Lord and to go with Him through every difficulty and obstacle will see Him do the unexplainable time and again! Those who choose the easy route never get to see God’s best. However, those who go the extra mile get to see the remarkable!  

 I think I would like a remarkable life!  How about you?