Where is the Lord God of Elijah?

One of the most important aspects of the prophetic office and ministry is the accompaniment of signs and wonders - miracles. Prophets without the miracle ministry are like clouds without rain; they have the sound and appearance of something good, but lack the anointing to carry things through to completion.

We need those miracles that accompany genuine prophetic ministry. We need signs and wonders to satisfy a generation thirsting for the real thing. God wants to give this generation what they are thirsting for, the real thing, through us. But, we have got to press in to receive the power necessary to perform.

Elijah had a servant by the name of Elisha. Elisha was a man who had humbled himself to function as a servant who ministered to the needs of Elijah. This was a humbling experience. Elisha served at Elijah's call. Elisha learned a great deal from Elijah. But, Elisha wasn't sure he had learned enough.

Soon, Elijah was taken up in a whirlwind on chariots of fire. Elisha's fear became a reality his mentor, Elijah, was gone. Elisha could no longer ride on Elijah's anointed coattails. Elisha would now have to learn how to carry his own weight.

There almost always comes a time in ministry where we are called to step out into the deep end of the waters, a place beyond where we feel comfortable. Times like these can be times of trepidation, if we let them, and they can cause us to be afraid of what might happen, if we don't keep our focus on God.

Elisha overcame his fear by learning how to pray and call on the name of the Lord. Elijah remembered the miracles that God did for Elijah. Elisha remembered what worked for Elijah. Elisha learned to do the same thing. Elisha's prayer became a simple prayer: where is the Lord God of Elijah?

Sometimes, we may not trust ourselves enough to believe that we can do the job that we are being called to do by God. But, that doesn't mean that that job can't be done. It just means that we need to remember those mentors in our lives who would have able to get the job done.

Elisha knew that his master, Elijah, would have been able to get the job done no matter what. The job before Elisha was crossing back over the river of Jordan. Elisha needed to cross back over the river to get back to his place of calling. The question: how?

Elisha remembered that he had received the prophetic mantle of Elijah. But, Elisha needed to believe that the God of miracles, and the miracle ministry, had not departed with Elijah. Elisha cried out to God. Elisha smote the waters, not with his own prophetic mantle, but with mantle of Elijah. 

To Elisha surprise, it worked. Sometimes, the hardest part of seeing a miracle take place in our live is our own unwillingness to take the first step. Often, we are required to take that first step not knowing what will happen. We are confronted by a thousand questions. But, there is only one answer. I don't know.

What we don't know isn't what prevents us from walking in the miracle ministry; it is what we do know. Our knowledge is sometimes the greatest adversary we have to seeing genuine miracles. Why is this? Because a miracle does not rely on natural knowledge; it relies on God.

God is the God of miracles. Prophets who have matured in their calling have learned to recognize how to depend on the God of miracles. Elisha was required to learn how to function in the miracle ministry before he could fulfill his prophetic calling to the nation of Israel.

Had Elisha not learned what he needed to know from Elijah, he would not have been able to cross the Jordan river. Had Elisha not trusted what he learned from Elijah, he would not have been able to cross the Jordan river. Had Elisha not used what Elijah taught him, he would not have been able to cross the Jordan river.

What did Elijah teach Elisha? To trust in God. Elijah was a man sold out to God. Elijah defeated the prophets of Baal by faith in Jehovah. Elijah stopped and started the rain by faith in Jehovah. Elijah called fire down from heaven by faith in Jehovah. Elijah's very name meant Jehovah is God. Elisha knew Jehovah through Elijah.

Elisha's name comes from two words, which means, Jehovah and supplication. Or, Elisha's name meant that he would be a man of prayer. What was the first ministerial act of Elisha? A prayer. What prayer? Where is the Lord God of Elijah?

This first ministerial act of Elisha as a prophet was the foundation for Elisha's future ministry. Elisha was not called to the same ministry as Elijah. Elijah's ministry: Jehovah the only true God. Elisha's ministry: Jehovah hears and answers prayer.

Elisha's miracle ministry exceeded that of Elijah. Elisha learned how to walk in his own calling and not be intimidated by the calling of his mentor, Elijah. Sometimes, having a great mentor can cause us to think we should be like them or do what they did.

God doesn't call any two people to do the exact same thing. God creates different people to do different things with different anointing's. God doesn't call any two prophets or prophetic ministers to function exactly the same way. God has different calls for different people.

You can learn a great deal from your mentor. But, God doesn't want you to be exactly like them. You can learn how to walk in the miracle ministry with a mentor, and they can teach you many things, but eventually you will have to step out of the boat to walk on the water. No one can do this for you.

Elijah couldn't do Elisha's miracles. Elisha couldn't do Elijah's miracles. Elijah could do Elijah's miracles and Elisha could do Elisha's miracles. Don't expect to function like others function, even your mentors. Function like you are called to function, but do function.

Don't abandon the miracle ministry just because it requires a little more work, a little more prayer. Don't give up on believing God for the impossible just because you haven't seen that particular form of impossible done. God does the impossible, not man. It is on God not on you.

So, the next time you are facing a need that you can't meet. Or, someone is looking for an answer to a problem that you can't solve. Stretch your faith and follow the example of Elisha. Cry out! Where is the Lord God of Elijah? And, get ready to advance into the next phase of your ministry: the miracle ministry.