Time moves on, everything changes…
It's the end of an era as we turn the page from 1 Kings to 2 Kings. Elijah's ministry is coming to an end, and the focus starts to shift to a new prophet, Elisha.
Elisha stays close to Elijah, really wanting to learn from him and to pick up some of Elijah's anointing:
When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, "Tell me, what can I do for you before I am taken from you?"
"Let me inherit a double portion of your spirit," Elisha replied….
Elisha then picked up Elijah's cloak that had fallen from him and went back and stood on the bank of the Jordan. He took the cloak that had fallen from Elijah and struck the water with it. "Where now is the LORD, the God of Elijah?" he asked. When he struck the water, it divided to the right and to the left, and he crossed over.
The company of the prophets from Jericho, who were watching, said, 'The spirit of Elijah is resting on Elisha.' 2 Kings 2:9,13-15 [NIV]
Elijah and Elisha both made a choice to listen to God, and to be led by him. Their life stories are examples of what it means to be 'naturally supernatural', living with God and seeing God's power breaking into our world today. This theme continues through the Bible, and into our own day.
In my teenage years, I was inspired by John Wimber's Bible teaching. Wimber challenged us to put into action Bible teaching about listening to God and praying for God's kingdom to come in all sorts of ways, including healing and miracles.
One weekend our church hosted a conference on healing and the prophets. The speaker was Blaine Cook one of Wimber's associates. As we moved into a prayer ministry time, he shared a word of knowledge about a damaged nose and I was reminded of a time when a hard ball had hit my nose a few years before. For years I had suffered with sinusitis, and no treatment had really touched it. I was prayed for, and as I went back to my seat people saw the bone in my nose moving. On the way home, I filled 3 handkerchiefs …and I have never had a problem with sinusitis since then.
Just as Elisha wanted to learn from Elijah and to receive his anointing, Blaine Cook wanted to model his ministry on John Wimber's and I am one of many people to benefit from that life choice.
So What?
What would you love to see in your life?
What choices are you making to see this happen?
Who are you modeling yourself on?
Tim Norman
Read the Bible in a year: Psalm 78:40-55, 2 Kings 1:1-2:25, Acts 20:1-38
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