2Kings 2 - The Secret to Success

Please read 2Kings chapter 2

Chapter two is a time of transition; the ending of the Elijah’s time as a prophet of the Lord and the beginning of his son Elisha’s time as prophet to take his place. Transitions in life tend to make up most of the difficult times we have in our lives. We may be transitioning to a new school and leaving good friends behind. A transition like this is often difficult due to the fear of rejection when we try to form new friendships at our new school. Transitions to a new job can be just as frightening due to the fear that we might have made a mistake and find that the new job is worse than the previous one offering less financial security than we originally thought. Another transition that most of us make is moving out of our parent’s home and into our own place. This causes a fear that we are not capable of living out on our own and not wise enough to make the right choices.

As Elisha came upon this important transition in his life he no doubt struggled with the same kinds of fears. He probably began to question himself. Would Israel accept me or reject me? Can I be as good of a prophet as my father or would I fail? Am I wise enough for this awesome role or will I make mistakes that anger the Lord and destroy people’s lives? Some might think that he just needed to have a little more confidence in his ability to lead and teach and he would be just fine. I don’t think, however, Elisha would agree with that. He did not trust in his own pleasant personality, wisdom or ability to do the job so he asked for a double portion of the spirit God gave to his predecessor.

What do we do when we are faced with a task that causes us to fear?

Do we decide to place a stronger amount of trust in our own personality, wisdom or ability?

Perhaps we should do what Elisha did and ask the Lord for a double portion of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Gal. 5:22). Focusing on ourselves and what we can do on our own only brings to mind our limitations and failures. Recognizing what we can accomplish in obedience to God’s will with His character, His wisdom and His ability makes us into an unstoppable force. Read closely what Apostle Paul said from prison, “I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength (Phil. 4:12-13).