The Encounter Beyond Jordan
The Encounter Beyond Jordan
2 Kings 2:8-13.
Many times, we have seen others being used by God to do supernatural wonders. And we truly believe that God worked through them. But we have great difficulty seeing ourselves as instruments and lives that can as well be useful as these men we saw and read about.
Right from the point where the mantle of the office of Elijah was bestowed upon Elisha, he recognized the need for him to become seasoned and trained in character, comportment, and dispositions of the office before the authority accorded to the office can come upon him. And so, he left his secular work and followed Elijah to be his servant- 1 Kings 19:21 Then he arose, and went after Elijah, and ministered unto him. Elisha understood the demand of God upon his life and acted accordingly. Joshua also displayed a similar attitude before assuming Moses’ office- Exodus 33:11 but his servant Joshua, the son of Nun, a young man, departed not out of the tabernacle. We need to set aside any obstacle on our path to fulfilling God’s set destiny for our lives.
Elijah encountered several obstacles that would have prevented him from getting to the place of this encounter: first, it was the prophet himself who posed the strongest obstacle by repeatedly discouraging Elisha to stop following- 1 Kings 19:20; 2 Kings 2:2,4,6; then the sons of the prophets- 2 Kings 2:3,5; what about the rough terrains of the road, the harshness of the weather as they journeyed from place to place, the discomfort of service, etc. But Elisha’s mind was made up. He would settle for nothing else- Isaiah 50:5 The Lord God hath opened mine ear, and I was not rebellious, neither turned away back.
On arrival at the place of encounter in 2 Kings 2:9, a pertinent question was then asked: “Ask what I shall do for thee”. He answered with such confidence that he could not be denied “And Elisha said, I pray thee, let a double portion of thy spirit be upon me”. He sought the impossible and through divine providence, he received that which he asked. And from that moment henceforth, his life and ministry were never the same again. Encounters with God bring revelation, power, and supernatural anointing: Luke 11:9-13; 2 Chronicles 1:7, 10-12.
