Short Thought continued.....

Passing on the Baton 
 

‘…anoint Elisha son of Shaphat from the town of Abel-meholah to replace you as my prophet…

Elijah went over to him (Elisha) and threw his cloak across his shoulders and then walked away…

Then he (Elisha) went with Elijah as his assistant.

(1 Kings 19:16, 19 & 21)

 

God told the prophet Elijah that, in time, Elisha was to replace him.  Elijah therefore invested in Elisha:

he trained and mentored him, passing on knowledge, experience and wisdom; he prepared Elisha

to be ready to take on and continue the work of being God’s prophet to the people.

 

This is a wonderful example of ‘passing on the baton’.

 

Recently, I watched a mum invest in her daughter as they shopped together in a local supermarket.

As they considered options and purchases together, mum was passing on knowledge, experience and

wisdom to her daughter.  It was a truly beautiful picture of mum training and preparing her daughter

for future life, that time when she would become an independent woman and in some capacity run

her own home and be responsible for her own welfare and perhaps the welfare of others.

This mum was ‘passing on the baton’; preparing her daughter to be ready.

I hope this daughter will appreciate her mum’s 'Elijah' nurturing.

 

Who has God placed in your life as an 'Elijah'?
Who is that person who you admire and look to and who has or is investing their gifts

and expertise to nurture and prepare you to be ready to take up your ‘baton’?
Who are you thankful for?

 

Perhaps you are in a place where God is showing you that you are ready to step into a

position and take up your baton, that work or task which He has been preparing you for.

As you move from being an ‘Elisha’ to an ‘Elijah’, how will you respond before God?

There is also a time for you to be an 'Elijah’ to someone; to gift to them your unique knowledge,

experience and wisdom and to have the awesome privilege of watching them grow

and become ready for what is ahead of them.
Who is God showing you to invest in?

 

As Elijah comes to the end of his life he asks Elisha

‘“Tell me what I can do for you before I am taken away.”  And Elisha replied,

“Please let me inherit a double share of your spirit and become your successor.”’

(2 Kings 2:9 NLT)

 

When we are the ones who are investing in someone else it is wonderful to

have a heart which desires that they grow to become more than we have been

and that we can pray to God asking that He will richly anoint and bless them.

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