08/11/2023
Are we ready to step forward in faith and assume new roles of serving God? Our inclination is to go only so far as new Christians, and then, if we are to proceed further, to fall dutifully under the tutelage of someone who becomes our spiritual mentor or role model. Eventually, God will reward our preparedness, and have us step beyond this comfortable season of being spiritually mentored, and cross into an even greater life with Him.
Moving beyond our mentor’s spirituality is a defining moment but if we lose a teacher like Elisha lost Elijah then it can also be a moment of grief, and mourning. Let’s talk about this particular story today as it relates to our lives as students, and then as rising teachers.
“And as they still went on and talked, behold, chariots of fire and horses of fire separated the two of them. And Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven. And Elisha saw it and he cried, “My father, my father! The chariots of Israel and its horsemen!” And he saw him no more. Then he took hold of his own clothes and tore them in two”
2 Kings 2: 11-12 ESV
Elisha had been studying under Elijah all his life, and he turned to him with every spiritual question, but God had just taken Elijah in a whirlwind into heaven... so now what would Elisha do? Well first he mourned as he tore his clothes, then he took the cloak of Elijah, and went back to the Jordan River, and finally he faced God. What he did when he reached the river would define his faith from that moment on… this was his crossroads.
I was a member of a three man intercessory prayer group comprised of elders at a church I was attending. I was 65 years old when they asked me to join, and I became its youngest member; the other two were in their mid-seventies, and eighties respectively. I was a lot like Elisha. As we prayed together I lead in certain prayers, but was the student in others. Jack Hughes, the eldest of us, was my spiritual mentor and had been for many years, but I knew that one day he would be called home and on that day I would also find myself standing on the banks of the Jordan River holding his coat. This hasn’t occurred yet, but in that moment of heartbreak, and of feeling alone, what will my next move be? Will I know what to do?
Each of us needs to be ready for our Jordan River moment; that time when we must step forward in our faith, or chose to remain on the far bank... alone. So what happened in the story of Elijah and Elisha? First Elisha knew that Elijah was going to be taken from him, and knowing this he would not let him face that moment alone, so he went with him to the Jordan.
“The sons of the prophets who were at Jericho drew near to Elisha and said to him, "Do you know that today the Lord will take away your master from over you?" And he answered, "Yes, I know it; keep quiet."”
2 Kings 2:5 ESV
Then, Elijah performed one last miracle by striking the water with his coat and parted it so that they could cross over, and as they did this is what happened...
“When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, "Ask what I shall do for you, before I am taken from you." And Elisha said, "Please let there be a double portion of your spirit on me."”
2 Kings 2:9 ESV
This is the hope of every master for his student, and every parent for their child... that they will eventually surpass them in life, but Elijah also knew that Elisha had made a request that only God could say yes to, so he answered him in this way:
“And he said, "You have asked a hard thing; yet, if you see me as I am being taken from you, it shall be so for you, but if you do not see me, it shall not be so."”
2 Kings 2:10 ESV
Elijah wanted this for Elisha but he placed it in God's hands. For each of us there will come a time when we will face losing our mentor and feeling alone with God. We will be in a place where others will begin to turn to us and say expectantly "I need a touch from God, pray for me." Will we be prepared for that moment? Will our faith be strong enough, and our walk close enough to God, that when this happens we will be able to ask our mentor for what Elisha did… twice the faith of our teacher?
Elijah gave his coat to Elisha. It was a symbolic gesture... a passing of the baton... a handing off of the Olympic flame... the passing on of his prophet’s crown. Then he was taken away to heaven. Now Elisha felt truly alone, so in mourning he tore his clothes, picked up the coat of Elijah and went back to the banks of the Jordan. This was his moment of truth, and he found himself at a crossroads.
What do we do when we stand at our crossroads? We have the coat of those who mentored and came before us, but now we must decide what to do next. Elisha shows us how we should proceed... he turned and called out to God.
“Then he took the cloak of Elijah that had fallen from him and struck the water, saying, "Where is the Lord, the God of Elijah?" And when he had struck the water, the water was parted to the one side and to the other, and Elisha went over.”
2 Kings 2:14 ESV
God answers our call just as He did for Elisha, but before He can part the water for us we must first call out to Him. Our prayers are all important. Learning to pray and then employing that prayer as we trust in the will of God, are two very different things. Elisha could have delivered an eloquent prayer of acceptance in which he culminated it by asking God to part the waters, but he didn't. In this moment of his great heartbreak and uncertainty he struck the water and called out "Where is the Lord?" He called out as each of us should... from his distress... from his heartbreak... and in all honesty and emotion.
In this instant Elisha received the blessing he had asked Elijah for, and the waters parted. He had stood at the crossroads, called out to God, and now the road God had chosen for him opened up before him. Our roads will open before us as well if we have reached the spiritual place where we stand in the will of God and ask.
I know that there will come a time when my mentor, Jack, will be called home. I know that in that moment I will rend my clothes and mourn his passing, I know that all he has taught me will be complete, and I also know that in my suffering grief I will call on God... just as Elijah taught Elisha, and just as Jack has taught me over the years. You see, our crossroads isn't really about going forward or staying put as much as it is about being with, or being without, God. When our time comes to pick up the cloak of our predecessor and stand on the shoulders of the giants that have gone before us we must be ready to call out to God and assume our new role.
Have we already stood at our crossroads? Are we still preparing ourselves? Or, are we standing on the banks of the Jordan with a coat in our hand and a prayer stuck in our throat? If we have crossed the Jordan that is wonderful, if we are still preparing ourselves then we should answer when God calls us in the night "here am I", and if we are standing on the banks of the Jordan wondering what to do next... then we should call out to God in firm belief that we will hear His answer!
Prayer:
Father I thank you for those who instruct us in your Word. I thank you for our mentors who prepare us for the moment when we become holy men and women in your service by calling out to you and striking the water with the coat of our teachers... your Word.
Lead us all to prayer Father, not in grand oration, but in the simple, sincere, and heartfelt language of a child to its Father. Lord Jesus you taught us to pray and you taught us to employ prayer as we seek the will of the Father; please be with us on that day when we stand at the crossroads of our faith and urge us on. You have sent the Holy Spirit as our guide, but as we pray in your name give us a double measure of your faith. I praise your name Lord and call out to you both night and day, let me not go mute when I face the crossroads in which I stand alone holding nothing but a coat. Hear my voice Father as I cry out for you, hear me "God of Elijah!" Hear me "God of gods, and Lord of lords, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God" who I serve with all I am.
“For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God, who is not partial and takes no bribe.”
Deuteronomy 10:17 ESV
““Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father.””
John 14:12 ESV
Rich Forbes