seeking after the hard thing

Maybe you've played the superpower game.
You know, when someone asks you,
If you could have any superpower,
what would it be?

I'm not personally a fan of that one.
Because all of them seem to have
their own set of blessings and curses.

I mean, if you could read minds,
you'd have to hear what others think of you.

If you could fly,
people would always be asking
last minute favors of you.

If you had x-ray vision,
you'd probably see all sorts of stuff
the human eye is better off not seeing.

Not that I'm a pessimist.
it's just that I don't really want any
of those special powers,
and am kind of glad they don't exist
for anyone.

Because it's not that I'd envy their power,
I'd actually feel sorry for them.

And I can even see how it might be
easy to get angry or frustrated
at any interference they might cause me.

That's kind of how I see prophets
from the Bible.
I mean, when I read about them,
I almost see them as having superpowers.
Well, super-natural powers.

But, it couldn't be an easy thing to handle.
I try to imagine what it would be like
to be one of them,
or even have to hear the bad news
they are given to deliver to others.

Because it's not typically good news.
That's usually given to angels to deliver.
Like when Mary heard she was having a baby...
well maybe that wasn't good news, at first.

But prophets usually give bad news...
telling people to repent
or the wrath of God is coming.
And their superpower
is hearing the word the Lord.

And if that's what you did for a living,
I would guess it would be
a pretty lonely existence.

I mean, unless you hung out
with other prophets.
But most of the time, we read about them
and they seem to be traveling alone.

So I think that might be part
of what Elijah means in his reply
to Elisha when he asks for a double spirit...
And so it was,
when they had crossed over,
that Elijah said to Elisha,
“Ask! What may I do for you,
before I am taken away from you?”
Elisha said, “Please let a double portion
of your spirit be upon me.”
So he said, “You have asked a hard thing.
Nevertheless, if you see me
when I am taken from you,
it shall be so for you;
but if not, it shall not be so.”
2 Kings 2:9-10 NKJV

First, Elijah knows that his gifting
has nothing to do with himself.
That all power and authority
comes from God.
Elijah didn't create this power,
has no control over it,
and does not own it
to give it away.

So Elijah has no say in whether
Elisha gets any power, or spirit
passed onto him.
And it wouldn't be Elijah's spirit anyway,
but the Spirit of God,
that does the miraculous.

But besides that,
I think Elijah is telling Elisha
that being a prophet is a hard thing...
a hard life.

The life of anyone in ministry, even today,
is called to be set apart...
consecrated to God.

And while that sounds kind of
special and fancy at first.
It can also be quite lonely
and difficult at times.

Simply because you will not
always be understood by the crowd.
You will not always be accepted
by the masses.
You will not always be invited
to the parties.
You will often be alone...
and in the wilderness.

So yes, it's the hard thing.
But God intends for His messengers
to be set apart and alone.

For God seldom shouts.
but like a Good Teacher
He whispers...
in that set apart place,
in that wilderness,
it is quiet and away from
the distractions of this noisy world,
in this you can hear My voice
more clearly.

So when Elijah stepped into
his flaming chariot,
drawn by flaming horses
in the whirlwind...
he knew he could not grant the hard thing
for Elisha, but he spoke plainly
that if Elisha saw him leaving,
then for certain God had granted his request.

Not simply that Elisha
would be physically present when he left.
But that Elisha could literally SEE him leave.
For only a true prophet of the Lord
would be able to see the vision
of these heavenly beings
through the haze of this concrete world.

Word of God,
train me, today...
to be bold enough to ask for the hard things,
to sit still and listen in the quiet moments,
to hear a true, whispered word from the Lord.

Lord, how I long
to hear from You.
What a treasure it must be
to see such a vision
in this heavenly realm that surrounds.

These fiery chariots, pulled by wild horses,
driven to carry Your precious cargo
to and fro in the kingdom that surrounds.

Open my eyes, Lord,
that I too may see them.

But if not now,
I trust that
one day, Lord,
we will all see.
​
I look forward as I endeavor...
​practicing eternity, today!