DAD'S RAMBLINGS -- SEEKING GOD'S BLESSING

DAD'S RAMBLING – SEEKING GOD'S BLESSING

"And so it was, when they had crossed over, that Elijah said to Elisha, 'Ask! What may I do for you before I am taken away from you:?' Elisha said, 'Please let a double portion of your spirit be upon me.' " (II Kings 2:9)

Elisha had one that he desired more than anything else. He wanted the spirit of Elijah to rest upon him. In fact, he wanted a double portion.

Elisha had been called by Elijah to be his disciple, and Elijah had mentored Elisha in the ways of the Lord. But now it was time for Elijah to be taken to heaven. Elijah had a test to see how determined Elisha was to receive this blessing of Elijah's spirit. It was no small thing that was required to get it.

Chapter 2 records this journey. "And it came to pass, when the LORD was about to take up Elijah into heaven by a whirlwind, that Elijah went with Elisha from Gilgal. Then Elijah said to Elisha, 'Stay here, please, for the LORD has sent me on to Bethel.' But Elisha said, 'As the LORD lives, and as your soul lives, I will not leave you!' So they went down to Bethel." This is the first phase of their winding journey. They started at Gilgal and went down to Bethel.

When they got to Bethel, "Elijah said to him, 'Elisha, stay here, please for the LORD has sent me on to Jericho.' But (Ellisha) said, 'As the LORD lives, and as your soul lives, I will not leave you!' So they came to Jericho."

"Then Elijah said to him, 'Stay here, please, for the LORD has sent me on to the Jordan.' But (Elisha) said, 'As the LORD lives, and as your soul live, I will not leave you!' So the two of them went on."

All of this seemingly aimless wandering could have discouraged Elisha. He might have asked himself, "Why in the world do we have to go here and there with no apparent purpose?" In addition, there were prophets along the way who tried to discourage him. I think that God was just testing Elisha to see how serious he was about receiving God's blessing.

But Elisha was persistent in his quest for God's anointing, and they finally crossed the Jordan river, where Elijah was taken up in the chariot of fire. As Elijah was taken up in the whirlwind, Elijah dropped his mantel, and Elisha picked it up. That mantel was a physical symbol of God's presence and power.

Elisha would have never received this blessing if he had not been committed to persistently follow his master, Elijah. He wound around the country from here to there, but his dedication to Elijah paid off.

Do you want God's blessing? Do you want His spirit and anointing to rest upon you? It may require some diligent, persistent seeking. It may take you places you didn't expect. It may take you through some naysayers who would try to discourage you. But persistence will pay off. It depends on how important it is to you.

Now I'm not talking about going around the country following some spiritual guru. I'm talking about the inward seeking and persistence. It's the kind of inner desire that the Psalmist wrote about – "As the deer pants after the waterbrook, so pants my soul after you, O LORD" (Psalm 42:1). It is tempting to give up and settle for God's second best. But there is reward for diligently and persistently seeking for God's spirit to rest upon us. And, it is worth it. So hang in there.

Love, Dad