Weekly message: Are you looking for your
Elijah?
By Rev. Katherine Liu Bruce
Christian Arts Ministries: Biblical
precepts & Gospel music & Pastoral ministry & counseling
Introduction
Jesus is living God,
He is real and reality in my life in every present help. I fix my eyes on Jesus
and gaze upon His cross, crucifixion and resurrection. Christ Jesus’ divine
life manifests in me when I fully lean on Him, trust in Him and dwell in Him by
praising and worshiping Him and pray with whole heart devotion to Him, the
sense of oneness will come and affirm His anointing, peace inwardly.
Affirmation and blessing assurance will come to reality. No doubt! Your inner being will know that He (Jesus) is
real and alive. And indeed, affirm His presence and reality.
Are you looking for your Elijah?
When we grow in age, many friends, and
families depart from us, some have passed away, and some have had physical
limitations, paralyzed on the bed, and no longer have followership with us. Sometimes,
we feel lonely, helpless and longing to find a former mental who
had been our encouragement as Elijah to Elisha. My friends, are you like me,
still seek Elijah in your life? Hope to find some strength, encouragement from
him and or her? Today, this message will
awaken you not to look for Elijah any more, but trust in God and put your faith
into practice, you will see Jesus Christ, our God Father is reality and He is
with you always.
According to 2 Kings
Chapter 2 the relationship between Elijah and Elisha, the historical events as
follows,
When the Lord was about to
take Elijah up to heaven in a whirlwind, Elijah and Elisha were on their way
from Gigal. Elijah said to Elisha, “Stay here; the Lord has sent me to Bethel”.
But Elisha said, “ As surely as the Lord lives and as you live, I will not leave you.”
So they went down to Bethel. (vv.1-2).
Second time, Elijah said to Elisha,
“ Stay here, Elisha, the Lord has sent me to Jericho.” But Elisha
replied, “As surely as the Lord lives and as you live, I will not leave you.”
So they went to Jericho.
Third time
Elijah said to him, “ Stay here; the Lord has sent me to the Jordan. And he
replied, “ As surely as the Lord lives and as you live, I will not leave you.”
So the two of them walked on. Fifty men of the company of the prophets went
and stood at a distance, facing the place where Elijah and Elisha had stopped
at the Jordan.
Elijah took his cloak, rolled it up and struck the water with it. The water
divided to the right and to the left, and the two of them crossed over on dry
ground. When they had crossed,
Elijah said to Elisha, “Tell me, what can I do for you before I am taken from you!” Elisha
replied, “Let me inherit a double portion of your spirit.” (v.9)
Not a request that Elisha have or do twice as
much as Elijah, but a plea that he might be the recognized heir of Elijah in
the prophetic office (the firstborn received a double portion of his father’s
inheritance,Deut.21:17). What Elisha requested was not Elijah’s to bestow. Elijah,
like Enoch (Gen.5:22-24), was taken to heaven without dying. This will also be
the experience of believers living at the time of Christ’s return
(1Cor.15:51;1Thess.4:17). As they were walking along and talking
together, suddenly a chariot of fire, and horses of fire appeared and separated
the two of them, and Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind. (v.10).
Elisha saw this and cried
out, “My
father! My father! The chariots and horsemen of Israel!” and Elisha saw him no more. Then he took hold of his own clothes and tore
them apart. He picked up the cloak that had fallen from Elijah and went back
and stood on the bank of the Jordan. Then he took the cloak
that had fallen from him and struck the water with it. When he struck
the water, it divided to the right and to the left, and he crossed over. (vv.12-14). The sons
of the prophets did not believe what Elisha apparently had told them had
happened to Elijah, and insisted on sending out a search party.(vv.16-18). But they didn’t find Elijah.
In our Christina
life, each one of us will meet a person like Elijah to us, who encouraged us,
and prayed for us as mental. It is not wrong to depend upon Elijah as long as
God gives him (or her) to you, but remember the time will come when he (or she)
will have to go; when he (or she) stands no more to you as your guide and
leader, because God does not intend he (or she) should. In weakness, you may
say, “I can’t go on without Elijah.” But God says you must go on.
Oswald Chambers’
viewpoint and expression are notable,
First, alone at your Jordan (v.14).
Jordan is the type of separation where there is no fellowship with anyone else,
and where no one can take the responsibility for you. You have to put to the
test now what you learned when you were with your Elijah. You have been to
Jordan over and over again with Elijah, but now you are up against it alone. It
is no use saying you cannot go; this experience has come, and you must go. If
you want to know whether God is the God you have faith to believe Him to be,
then go through your Jordan alone.
Second, alone
at your Bethel. (v.23). at your Bethel you will find yourself
at your wits’ end and at the beginning of God’s wisdom. When you get your wits’
end and feel inclined to succumb to panic, don’t; stand true to God and He will
bring His truth out in a way that will make your life a sacrament. Put into
practice what you learned with your Elijah, use his cloak and pray. Determine
to trust in God and do not look for Elijah any more.
I agree and appreciate
Oswald Chambers’ thoughts. When our loved one ( parents or mental) who had passed away, (or have grown in
age), he or she is no longer with us, prayed, encouraged us, nor took
responsibility for us as Elisha
saw him no more. We need to move on, not look back, nor
dwell in the loneliness or sadness, but fully trust in God and put the Word of
God what we had learned from mental into practice as Elisha stood on the bank of the Jordan. He took the cloak
that had fallen from him and struck the water with it. When he struck
the water, it divided to the right and to the left, and he crossed over. (2kings2:12-14).
Christians’ faith realization is that we may not
have Elijah in our entire life, but we will have Jesus Christ our Lord eternal.
Once we fix our eyes on Jesus, lean on Him and trust in Him wholeheartedly by
praising, worshiping and praying persistence, we will taste His sweetness, holy
presence, anointing and grasp His love and grace in our life journey.
My friends, what you had learned from your
Elijah, put into practice by faith, you will experience the Lord Jesus Christ
is reality and is alive, For Jesus is the same yesterday, today and
forevermore.
Bibliography,
Ryrie, Charles C. The Ryrie study Bible (NIV).Chicago,
IL: The Moody Bible Institute, 1986
Chambers, Oswald “My utmost for His highest” N.Y: Dodd,
Mead & Company, Inc., 1935.
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