No turning back
So Elisha left him and went back. He took his yoke of oxen and slaughtered them. He burned the ploughing equipment to cook the meat and gave it to the people, and they ate. Then he set out to follow Elijah and became his servant. 1 Kings 19 : 21 (NIV) |
Our passage this week is taken mid-action. Just before our passage we see a young farmer named Elisha ploughing his field. This however was no ordinary day on the farm as God had called Elisha to become a prophet (or messenger for God) and that he would learn the ropes from another great prophet, Elijah. God had also said that when the time came that Elisha would be the successor to Elijah.
The key thing that we can all take from this story is the amount of faith that Elisha showed when deciding to follow God's direction. We see him effectively saying "it is God's way all the way..."
We see him killing is oxen, and burning his plough. These were the two things that he relied on to earn a living. Elisha made the choice to make a clean break from the past to follow God now and in the future.
He could have sold his animals, or lent them to a friend. He could have put his plough into storage just in case. Elisha had the opportunity to prepare himself a Plan B, a safety-net just in case "God's plan" didn't turn out as he hoped. Especially when you remember that in Elisha's day there was no welfare state, no unemployment benefit, no one to pickup the pieces if it all went wrong. However he intentionally didn't, he intentionally put all his trust in God's way.
Today you might be thinking that you are not brave enough to go all in like Elisha, as putting it all on the line to follow God is a scary proposition! However, maybe this week focus on one thing that God want's you to turn around and do differently. It might just be a little thing, but that's ok. Have a great week.
Our song this week is No Turning Back by Brandon Heath. |
Header image by: Aart via Flickr