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Now when the Lord was about to take Elijah up to heaven by a whirlwind, Elijah and Elisha were on their way from Gilgal. Elijah said to Elisha, ‘Stay here; for the Lord has sent me as far as Bethel.’ But Elisha said, ‘As the Lord lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.’ So they went down to Bethel. The company of prophets who were in Bethel came out to Elisha, and said to him, ‘Do you know that today the Lord will take your master away from you?’ And he said, ‘Yes, I know; keep silent.’Elijah said to him, ‘Elisha, stay here; for the Lord has sent me to Jericho.’ But he said, ‘As the Lord lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.’ So they came to Jericho. The company of prophets who were at Jericho drew near to Elisha, and said to him, ‘Do you know that today the Lord will take your master away from you?’ And he answered, ‘Yes, I know; be silent.’ Then Elijah said to him, ‘Stay here; for the Lord has sent me to the Jordan.’ But he said, ‘As the Lord lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.’ So the two of them went on. Fifty men of the company of prophets also went, and stood at some distance from them, as they both were standing by the Jordan. Then Elijah took his mantle and rolled it up, and struck the water; the water was parted to the one side and to the other, until the two of them crossed on dry ground. When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, ‘Tell me what I may do for you, before I am taken from you.’ Elisha said, ‘Please let me inherit a double share of your spirit.’ He responded, ‘You have asked a hard thing; yet, if you see me as I am being taken from you, it will be granted you; if not, it will not.’ As they continued walking and talking, a chariot of fire and horses of fire separated the two of them, and Elijah ascended in a whirlwind into heaven. Elisha kept watching and crying out, ‘Father, father! The chariots of Israel and its horsemen!’ But when he could no longer see him, he grasped his own clothes and tore them in two pieces.(2 Kings 2:1-12)
Only two men in the Bible did not die but were taken directly by God into Heaven. The first was Enoch, who walked so closely with the Lord, one day that walk did not end here, but continued in Heaven (Genesis 5:24). The second is Elijah, prophet and one of the persons who appeared with Jesus on the mountain of Transfiguration. This passage deals with his departure. If you're familiar with his life, Elijah was faithful and fruitful. He suffered much for the sake of God, and reached a point where he felt he could not go on. Yet, at the end, he was still alive and his enemies were dead. And God found a suitable successor for his ministry, the prophet Elisha. Elisha learned much from Elijah, and regretted the day's arrival we read about here. He knew that he was to succeed Elijah, but did not like the idea of losing his mentor and friend. And leave it to other colleagues to remind him twice that this was the day. Elijah wore a mantle, a piece of clothing similar to the stoles pastors wear on their robes. This mantle had provided comfort and strength for Elijah and even here on his final day on earth it was used by Elijah to strike the Jordan River and part it in two so that he and Elisha could walk across it easily. When the moment of goodbye came, Elijah asked the younger prophet what he could do for him. Elisha asked for, in King James English, "a double portion of they spirit." In the Message, he is quoted as saying, "Your life repeated in my life. I want to be a holy man just like you." Elisha had learned enough to say I want to be just like you, holy, strong, faithful to God and able to do the things asked of me. The mantle was passed from Elijah to Elisha and the only requirement was for Elisha to not remove his eyes from the old man as he was carried away. And what a sight he had; a chariot of fire, pulled by horses of fire came from Heaven and carried the faithful prophet home. The younger could only scream, "Father, father! The chariots of Israel and its horsemen!" Then he mourned.
I pray that you and I have had mentors in our life that have blessed us spiritually. It may have been your mother or father, or both; and if they're now gone, I hope you are being a mentor to someone in your life. People watch us and learn from us; and they'll either say, "I want to be just like him/her!" or "Not on your life; I'd rather live my own life!" I pray it's the former not the latter. May our words, thoughtful actions and deeds be the kind that impact lives for the better, bringing people closer to God, and not the kind that drive people away from God. Both of these prophets became prophets because of their relationship with God; their prayer lives were daily events of connecting with God in positive ways. May our prayer lives be the same.
PRAYER: Loving Father, pour out Your Spirit on me so that I may be a blessing to You and those who watch and learn from me. I seek not to know all the answers, but You, the Source of all good and wisdom. Bless my actions, my words, and my thoughts. Lift me high and set me on fire spiritually so that Christ's light shine in and through me. This I pray in Christ Jesus' precious and powerful name, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! What mantle are you carrying and to whom will you pass it?
Eradio Valverde
PRAYER REQUESTS: Dear friend, our continued prayers for James Hisey, the three year old who we believe underwent surgery in Houston for a 4.5 cm abscess found right behind his tonsils. The fear was that once removed complications could affect James' airway possibly placing him on a ventilator for a while. I've not received word of the outcome of the surgery, but we're trusting God. James is the grandson of Dr. Commie and Donna Hisey. Prayers for Dorothy McGint, who is battling cancer and is declining. Prayers for Joe Haynes (former KCTI announcer) who was struck by a vehicle in a parking lot and is hospitalized in Fort Worth. Continued prayers for little Cashel Wurzbach and his fight with cancer. Again, dear reader, your prayers bless others and we are thankful for your willingness to serve in this way. May the Lord bless you and keep you!
