"Where Now is the LORD, the God of Elijah?!"

THE INVITATION

Recently, in a time of prayer I felt I heard the Lord speak a phrase to me, "If you want it, here it is, come and get it." I knew that this phrase was an invitation to step out of passivity and doubt, and to step into a greater dimension of trust and obtaining our promises through faith. In order to share the larger meaning of this phrase, I want to share an ancient story of two prophets and how their journey is speaking today.

ELISHA'S PERSISTENT PURSUIT

For several months now, the story of Elisha receiving Elijah's mantle in 2 Kings has been highlighted to me. I feel God has a current message for us in this exchange that took place between the two prophets and the events that transpired afterwards.

We know that Elisha and Elijah were traveling together and a company of prophets asked Elisha if he knew that the Lord was going to take Elijah away from him that day. Elisha's humorous answer was, "Yes, I know, so be quiet". (2 Kings 2:3b) Then, as if to test him, Elijah tells Elisha to remain where he is while Elijah traveled to Jericho. Elisha's response again reveals an intensity as he says, "As surely as the Lord lives and as you live, I will not leave you." (2 Kings 2:4b)

This whole scenario happened again, this time Elijah was heading to the Jordan. Again he encouraged his friend, Elisha, to stay while he traveled on. Again, Elisha refused and it was on this journey with Elijah that Elisha was witness to a miracle that must have stirred him deeply. He saw his mentor, Elijah, take his cloak or mantle and strike the waters of the Jordan so that it parted to the right and left.

It was following this miracle that Elisha requested of Elijah to inherit a double portion of his spirit. Elijah responds, "You have asked a difficult thing, yet if you see me when I am taken from you, it will be yours--otherwise, it will not." (2 Kings 2:10)

We know that Elijah was taken up in a whirlwind that day and because of his persistent faith, Elisha was present to witness the miraculous event. What follows has particular significance for us today.

PICK IT UP!

Elisha then finds Elijah's mantle that had fallen and he picked it up. It's important to see here that the mantle didn't fall on Elisha's shoulders, but instead, he had to bend down and pick it up. Friends, we do not need to rush past this significant moment! We know that God distributes gifts and callings on His people, but we play a role in the picking up of those things when it is time. There are those whom God has raised up and trained for such a time as this. You may have been in a waiting season, but for many the waiting is over. It is time to pick up that thing for which you have been called. It's time to take that step of faith and take ownership of your mantle as Elisha did that day.

The mantle of a prophet was a special garment usually made of fur or animal skin and was distinctive in appearance and recognized by the culture of that day. Elisha wasn't just picking up any garment, but in this intentional act he was picking up the inheritance and his assignment for his generation. What is God asking you to pick up?

Elisha's next act reveals that he knew it was time to place a demand on the promise of his inheritance. In a bold move, Elisha imitates the act of Elijah and strikes the waters of the Jordan with his newly acquired mantle and with that act he utters these words, "Where now is the LORD, the God of Elijah?" (2 Kings 2:14b) The scripture then tells us, "When he struck the water, it divided to the right and to the left, and he crossed over." 2 Kings 2:14b

The phrase, "Where now is the LORD, the God of Elijah?" has been echoing now in my spirit for several months. God is wanting us to see something in this gutsy act of Elisha's. Elisha knew the source of Elijah's power was the LORD God himself. Elisha knew that if he was to operate in a double portion of Elijah's spirit, he could only do that if God came through for him. Elisha's back was up against the wall and he knew it. It was a now or never move when he uttered the cry, "Where now is the LORD, the God of Elijah?"

God orchestrates things for many of us in a similar way. We may find ourselves with a call on our lives that we know is too large for us alone. We can only fulfill that call if God comes through for us. He is asking His people to step out in the same spirit as Elisha and not shrink back because we can't fully see how He will fulfill things. As we step out in faith, making our own cry for Him to come, He will surely honor that faith.

Yes, Elisha crossed over! Elisha crossed over into his inheritance and destiny that day. There are many people who have felt in a time of waiting for their destiny to unfold. You know deep within that God has more for you. Many of you have received promises and prophetic words spoken to you about things that are yet to unfold. This story holds within it some important keys for stepping into the destiny God has prepared for you. This is a NOW HOUR for obtaining those breakthroughs and seeing your own waters part.

KEYS FOR STEPPING INTO INHERITANCE

I believe God is going to clarify promises and prophetic words for many as you pursue Him and His will for your life in the coming days. When Elisha first began following Elijah in 1 Kings 19, he left everything behind, his father, mother, the land where he worked, and the yoke of oxen. He was ALL IN in the truest sense of the word and this is the heart position of those who will be His laid down lovers in this hour. It was this willingness to forsake all else to follow the call that positioned Elisha for increase. It was also this forsaking all else position that brought clarity to his call.

When Elijah initially laid his mantle on Elisha's shoulders in I Kings 19:19, it was really a promise of things to come. He received the call, but he did not yet walk in the authority of his call. The mantle didn't remain on his shoulders at that time, but he had experienced enough to cause him to step into his passionate pursuit. His devotion to Elijah and the call on his own life caused him to refuse to be separated from Elijah and, when he sensed that Elijah's time with him was short, he would not let him out of his sight. He was stirred to ask of Elijah a DOUBLE PORTION of his spirit.

Many are feeling a stirring in their spirit to ask for MORE in this season. Your head may be telling you it isn't logical, but your heart is saying, "GO FOR IT!" I'm hearing the Spirit of God say, "Ask BIG! Dream BIG! Imagine BIG and BELIEVE BIG" in this hour. We are in an exceptional time, an Ephesians 3:20 hour, "Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine according to his power that is at work with us..."

Elisha was bold enough to put a demand on the promise that he had been given. We will often receive to the degree that we put a demand on the word and the God of the word. God doesn't just give us a word and then leave us alone, but He journeys along with us every step of the way as we walk in faith. He is looking for a people who will TRUST HIM FULLY and who BELIEVE HE WILL DO WHAT HE SAYS HE WILL DO. HE is looking for a people who will pursue Him and what He has spoken.

When Elisha struck the Jordan River with the mantle he was putting it all on the line. His words, "Where now is the LORD, the God of Elijah?" (2 Kings 2:14b) were essentially entering a place of no return for him. Either God would come through or He would not. Either His words to Elisha were true, or they were not. There was no turning back. He truly took a giant leap of faith in that moment and God gloriously responded to his faith by dividing the waters before him.

We see in 2 Kings 2:15, "The company of the prophets from Jericho, who were watching, said, "The spirit of Elijah is resting on Elisha." And they went to meet him and bowed to the ground before him."

The anointing that was now resting on Elisha was evident to the company of prophets who were watching this scenario unfold that day. Many are now longing for greater authority, and greater power in their lives. Elisha's process and how he walked out his faith gives us some keys for accessing the greater things of the Kingdom. Elisha's humility of heart, his obedience to leave everything to follow the call of God, and his faithful and bold persistence to hold on to his promises despite opposition are powerful keys and signposts for us in our own pursuit of all that God has for us in the coming days.

Right now, this invitation is being extended to many who have been raised up for such a time as this, "If you want it, here it is, come and get it!"