Focal passage: 1 Kings 19:19-21; 2 Kings 2:6-14
I love statistics. In fact, I love reading statistics 100% of the time. A statistic that has been spoken of for what seems like centuries in the church is that 20% of the people do 80% of the work. Those numbers have been used so much, they are almost cliché.
Jesus said, “the harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few” (Matthew 9:37 NIV). Having come off a great time of encouragement with the Lord on Mt. Horeb, Elijah is sent to anoint new kings over Syria and Israel and to set apart Elisha as his successor.
Elijah sees how the Lord wants to use his life to impact others. We all have a tendency to try to do things by ourselves, in our own strength, but he recognizes a need that God seeks to fill. When he encounters Elisha out plowing, Elijah places his cloak over Elisha’s shoulders, symbolically transferring his prophetic power to him.
Elijah did not say a word to persuade Elisha to follow the Lord’s call to leave all that he had known and possessed. He went back and kissed his parents goodbye, slaughtered his oxen, burned his equipment and followed Elijah. For many years, Elijah served as prophet and ministered to the people of Israel. Now it was time for Elisha to replace him, as the Lord took Elijah to heaven with a chariot and horses of fire. It was now time for Elisha to prophesy to the people.
As you read this, maybe it is time for you to serve the Lord in a new way. Pray and ask God to show you if there is any area in your life that he would desire for you to serve.