Library 3.0

2 Kings 2-vs-1-17

The story in the first two chapters of this book tells of how the senior prophet Elijah was preparing to be taken away into heaven and his student Elisha followed him to this supernatural occasion. We read about how Elijah travelled from one city to the next towards his destination across the Jordan river where he knew that he would be taken away into glory. As he travels and each time he enters a new city he asks Elisha to stop following him and remain in that city. Yet Elisha responds with an astounding phrase that he repeats over and over again: “As the Lord lives and as your soul lives, I WILL NOT leave you”. This phrase echos the heart’s cry of that man. He was determined to receive the anointing and was committed to his father in the faith. “I will not leave you” he said. His passion for the power of God that he had seen in his master’s life was enough to cause him to roam the country side with Elijah. He was HUNGRY FOR GOD.

As I sat reading this passage of scripture, I was nearly floored to see the level of this man’s intensity towards God. I began to wonder what life would be like in America if even HALF of the people in our churches began to seek the Lord with this level of intensity. Life would, no doubt be different. As the story continues we find Elijah approaching the Jordan river to cross over it. He knows that this will be his final voyage across this river. He will not be coming back. As he drew near to the river’s edge he turned to his servant Elisha and asked him a question: “Elisha, what is it that you desire from God?” and Elisha replies by saying “I desire a double portion of your anointing.” Now this is where things get really ridiculous. You see, in ancient Jewish tradition, when a master or father of a household would die, he would pronounce a blessing over the ones he was leaving behind. And everything that he had became theirs. Of course, Elisha knew this and responded very deliberately to Elijah’s question. The thing that I find audacious was that Elisha was asking for a miracle. Elijah responds by saying “You have asked a hard thing.” Why was Elisha’s request for a “double portion” so difficult? Why is it that his response seemed to shock Elijah? It’s because he was asking for something that Elijah alone could not give him. Let me explain…

Let’s say for a moment that I was a farmer and I had a large portion of land with a lot of livestock. Now let’s say that you were the top employee on my farm and upon my death I had made plans to leave everything I owned to you. Let’s pretend that you served for many years and that the time had come for me to leave earth and make heaven my eternal home. If I was following the traditions of Jewish culture here’s what would have happened. I would call you into my room and I would lay my hands upon you, speak a blessing over your life and declare that everything I owned now belonged to you. Are you following me so far? Now, let’s imagine that when I laid my hands upon you to bless you, you asked for me to give you not only the whole farm and all of the livestock, but also the farm across the street which I did not own. What would my response be? I would most likely echo Elijah: “You have asked a hard thing.” In other words, I can’t give you the entirety of what you are asking for. I can only give you what I have. The rest will have to come from another source.

Are you seeing the parallel? Elisha asks Elijah to give him twice what Elijah had. That’s why Elijah says “You have asked a hard thing. Nevertheless, if you SEE me when I am taken, you shall have what you desire.” Elijah recognizes the hunger in his servant and the trusts that God will give Elisha the thing that he desires. The story goes on to tell about how Elisha continues to follow Elijah and when the time comes Elijah is taken into heaven by a fiery chariot. (God likes his servants to ride in style ;p) While Elijah is being taken up he casts off his “mantle” which was a sort of scarf that he would wear around his neck. It represented the calling and anointing that was on his life. Of course Elisha who is standing very close by watching, picks up the mantle and places it around his neck. He received the thing that he desired because of his persistence. He would not relent until he got the thing that his heart yearned for. He now possessed the anointing.

The application in our lives is simple. You and I must become hungry, no, desperate for a move of God. We must have Elisha’s audacity and ask for things that are beyond what we have come to expect naturally. It would have been totally normal for Elisha to ask for Elijah’s anointing, but a double portion?? That’s just crazy. That’s way beyond what would have been expected. But you know what?? God honored Elisha’s request. God answered Elisha’s prayer. You see, I believe that God likes it when we get bold with Him. I don’t believe that He is satisfied with our small little desires. He wants us to believe beyond the status quo and press in to something greater in Him. I don’t just want to see God do the same old things that He’s done in the past. I’m ready for more. For years we have been satisfied with just seeing a few people get saved in our churches here and there. We go to our church and have our “nice little services” and then we go back home to live our lives with the same issues that we had before. We are never changed. We never have anything to offer the world because our lives resemble theirs. I say that it’s time to change all that. And I’m on a mission to kick the church into high gear. We have GOT to start expecting God’s best in everything.

You can live your whole life and never tap into the fullness of God that is inside of you. You can go through your daily routines and never realize that there is a power resident inside of your heart that has the ability to shake nations. My friends, the time has come to press beyond our current expectations and limitations. The power of Elisha’s request was not in the fact that it was a “double” portion. Don’t get hung up on the math. The real power in his request from God was that it pressed beyond the expected norm. It tapped into a realm in which ONLY God could supply.

My friends, we must take Elisha’s attitude and move beyond our comfort level. I want to encourage you to begin to press into God in every area of your life. Start today. Make today the beginning of the rest of your life in God. And don’t ever look back. I believe that in our community we are on the brink of a ridiculous outpouring of God’s power that will change lives. I mean it! There are some days when I feel like I’m standing on the edge of a cliff, teetering on the brink of what God wants to do in our area. I’m here to tell you that I’m pressing into everything that God wants to do and WE WILL SEE HIS POWER in our city and region. My invitation to you is this: Will you do what is necessary to walk with God in your life? Will you move into lifestyle that will allow you to press beyond the norm and become the person that God has empowered you to be? I pray that your answer is yes. Of course people will think you’re crazy. People think I’m crazy. Shoot, people thought that Jesus was fresh out of His mind. But you know what? We press on anyway, because we know that these momentary things are not comparable to the Glory of God in our lives.

As I like to say, “The juice is always worth the squeeze.” If you’ll contend for the things of God in your life and refuse to be satisfied with the status quo than I promise you, God will meet your faith and He will exceed even your wildest expectations.