A sermon idea based on 2 Kings 2:1-2, 6-14
There are several angles from which this particular text might be brought to bear on life where we’re living it today.
- Every generation needs “Elijahs” willing to pass on the mantle and “Elishas” willing to take it up and keep speaking God’s truth.
- God is always bigger than any one man, any one movement, and any one moment.
- If you really want God to work powerfully through you, you’ll have to be willing to demonstrate your passion by following him to unexpected places.
But with this particular idea for a sermon, I’d love to make a different point.
The gospel means that even our most difficult days of loss and transition are always brightened with the hope that God is near and ready to work powerfully in our lives.
Pastor Rick Warren once talked about how life isn’t so much a roller coaster, taking us from good times to bad times in some kind of crazy cycle. Rather life is like railroad tracks, where the good and the bad often run side-by-side together. In other words, while you’re walking through pain and struggle, you’re also growing and seeing God’s favor. When you’re suffering in one area of life, you’re often seeing the tremendous blessing in another area. This was true for Elisha. He was saying goodbye to his mentor and hero, Elijah, while also receiving the assignment to prophetic ministry himself. It was in the middle of Elisha’s deep, agonizing hunger to make a difference in the world that God showed up and worked miraculously through him.
When you’re heart hurts, look for God’s comforting presence. When you’re walking through loss and transition, keep your eyes open to the ways in which God is teaching you new lessons and giving you new assignments.