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We first hear of the prophet Elijah during the reign of Ahab, King of Israel, of whom it is written that he “did more evil in the eyes of the Lord than any of those before Him.” (I Kings 16:30) Elijah headlines chapter 17 when he boldly declares to Ahab, “As the Lord, the God of Israel, lives, whom I serve, there will be neither dew nor rain in the next few years except at my word.” God then sent Elijah away – out of Dodge – to a place east of Jordan, where He provided water from a brook and food from the ravens (God’s Grubhub).

Next, God sent him to a widow and her son, providing a bottomless cupboard of survival essentials and raising her son from the dead (worth a mention). After three years passed, God sent him back to speak to King Ahab in Samaria.

The severe famine served as the perfect backdrop for Elijah’s proposed challenge to Baal and his prophets and followers. God won it handily with a few bonuses thrown in. Baal was a no-show. In God’s unfathomable mercy, He heard the cry of the Israelites when they turned back to Him (again) and, my, how it rained afterwards!

Threatened by Ahab’s wife, the charming Jezebel, and fearing for his life, Elijah ran away and settled under a broom tree. Fast forward to when the Lord comes to him and asks, “What are you doing here, Elijah? Go back . . . . to the desert. When you get there, anoint [these] kings and anoint Elisha to succeed you as prophet.”

Elijah found Elisha plowing a field. He walked up and threw his cloak around him. Immediately, Elisha left his oxen and ran after him. “Let me go and kiss my [parents] goodbye and then I will come with you.” So he went back and took care of his animals, plows, and people, then he set out to follow and serve Elijah.

Most theologians believe that Elisha served Elijah about eight years, during which time he witnessed miracles, conflicts, peace, provision, and God’s power in the life of the prophet to whom God spoke.

When the Lord was preparing to take Elijah via a whirlwind, he and Elisha were walking and talking together. Three companies of prophets approached them and told Elisha that the Lord was going to take Elijah. After using his cloak to roll back the waters of the Jordan, he turned to Elisha and asked, “What can I do for you before I am taken from you?” Elisha was ready for this moment. He knew exactly what he would ask. Without hesitation, he answered, “Let me inherit a double portion of your spirit.”

Suddenly, as they walked, a chariot and horses of fire appeared and separated them, and Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind. Elisha cried after him, “My father! My father! ….” And he saw him no more.

Now it is Elisha’s moment. He is alone. He begins to sense the enormity of the loss. Heretofore, he had stepped where Elijah stepped, saw what Elijah saw, and heard God through the filter of the prophet’s faith.

He was surely heavy hearted when he bent to pick up the cloak that fell from Elijah. He must have stepped slowly, intentionally, as he moved back to stand on the bank of the Jordan. Elisha took the cloak, struck the water with it, and asked, “Where Now Is The Lord, the God of Elijah?” When he struck the water, it divided to the right and to the left and he crossed over.

There is a pivotal moment, a whirlwind moment, when we realize that we are not our own.

It was pivotal for Elisha. One minute he relaxed in the knowledge and the history of his mentor; the next, he was on his own. He had the freedom to walk away. We can imagine him, on the bank, absorbing the loss, the situation, and the path forward. Striking the water of the Jordan with his cloak could have been his closing tribute to Elijah, even as he surrendered to the God whom they, together, had served. “Where Now Is The Lord, the God of Elijah?” Perhaps it could read, ‘I’m ready, Lord. Let’s do this!’

And so it is with us. There is a pivotal moment, a whirlwind moment, when we realize that we are not our own. We have a Keeper (Ps. 72) who watches us, who creates a roadmap, then woos us toward His wonderful, magnificent plan. (Is.28:29)

With unfathomable patience and forbearance, the God of Elijah awaits your response and mine. Where now is the Lord in my plans, in my worship, in my day-to-day situations? Where now is the Lord in my petitions and my obedience? I pray that we all stand on the banks, cloak in hand and declare, ‘I’m ready, Lord. Let’s do this!’