Drawing Near for Divine Anointing
2 Kings 2:7
And fifty men of the sons of the prophets went, and stood to view afar off: and they two stood by Jordan.
The affirmation of the brethren is no substitute for the anointing of The Lord! Here, as Elisha stands by the Jordan alongside one of God’s most anointed prophets of the hour, Elijah, fifty more sons of the prophets stand “afar off”. This begs the question: why weren’t they any closer? One could argue that the position Elisha found himself in…a front row seat, if you will…was only filled because of his appetite for the things of God. After all, Elijah on three separate occasions sought to depart from Elisha, but Elisha would not have any of that! He INSISTED that he remain right by the side of Elijah. And may I say, it paid off! Elisha knew that the benefits of being consecrated to the service of The Lord as a servant to His prophet Elijah would reap spiritual blessings much greater in comparison than anything he might have gained, had he led a typical, normal life with the click and the club.
While the young preachers looked on from a distance and missed their opportunity for advancement in God’s Kingdom, Elisha separated himself if by chance he might receive the double portion upon Elijah’s departure, which he did!! Today, I wonder just how many pastors, preachers, missionaries, etc. are yet afar off from that place of appetite, hunger, and thirst for righteousness that it takes to receive the double portion anointing for maximum impact in ministry. As I look in the mirror, I must ask this question of myself. Am I close enough? Or has my apathy created a cold distance between me and my fullest potential in God’s Kingdom?
Oh, may it not be so! May God draw me…rather, may God draw ALL of us close to His side where we might receive the power needed to impact this world with the Glorious Gospel of Jesus Christ! If Elisha could receive such power from the imperfect prophet Elijah’s mantle, how much more could we receive power from the perfect prophet Jesus Christ through His Spirit? But, have we taken every opportunity that presents itself to depart from Him? Or, like Elisha with Elijah, have we refused to depart from Christ, though He test our appetites with trials of faith?
Will we quickly excuse our lack of power with the affiliations and affirmations of the other 49 prophets standing afar off, or will we separate ourselves from the over-crowded room of powerless preachers that we might find real power with God? Do we seek a crowd’s consensus, or do we seek Christ’s consolations? Oh that God would raise up a crowd of Elisha’s hungry for His power at any expense!
~ Pastor Gary Caudill
And fifty men of the sons of the prophets went, and stood to view afar off: and they two stood by Jordan.
The affirmation of the brethren is no substitute for the anointing of The Lord! Here, as Elisha stands by the Jordan alongside one of God’s most anointed prophets of the hour, Elijah, fifty more sons of the prophets stand “afar off”. This begs the question: why weren’t they any closer? One could argue that the position Elisha found himself in…a front row seat, if you will…was only filled because of his appetite for the things of God. After all, Elijah on three separate occasions sought to depart from Elisha, but Elisha would not have any of that! He INSISTED that he remain right by the side of Elijah. And may I say, it paid off! Elisha knew that the benefits of being consecrated to the service of The Lord as a servant to His prophet Elijah would reap spiritual blessings much greater in comparison than anything he might have gained, had he led a typical, normal life with the click and the club.
While the young preachers looked on from a distance and missed their opportunity for advancement in God’s Kingdom, Elisha separated himself if by chance he might receive the double portion upon Elijah’s departure, which he did!! Today, I wonder just how many pastors, preachers, missionaries, etc. are yet afar off from that place of appetite, hunger, and thirst for righteousness that it takes to receive the double portion anointing for maximum impact in ministry. As I look in the mirror, I must ask this question of myself. Am I close enough? Or has my apathy created a cold distance between me and my fullest potential in God’s Kingdom?
Oh, may it not be so! May God draw me…rather, may God draw ALL of us close to His side where we might receive the power needed to impact this world with the Glorious Gospel of Jesus Christ! If Elisha could receive such power from the imperfect prophet Elijah’s mantle, how much more could we receive power from the perfect prophet Jesus Christ through His Spirit? But, have we taken every opportunity that presents itself to depart from Him? Or, like Elisha with Elijah, have we refused to depart from Christ, though He test our appetites with trials of faith?
Will we quickly excuse our lack of power with the affiliations and affirmations of the other 49 prophets standing afar off, or will we separate ourselves from the over-crowded room of powerless preachers that we might find real power with God? Do we seek a crowd’s consensus, or do we seek Christ’s consolations? Oh that God would raise up a crowd of Elisha’s hungry for His power at any expense!
~ Pastor Gary Caudill