Where is the Lord God of Elijah?

[Ebn Barbara]

This is what Elisha the prophet said when he struck the water of Jordan river, it was divided this way and that, so this prophet could cross over.

God commissioned Elisha to continue the mission of Elijah the prophet, after the wicked Jezebel had frightened him, and he went seeking death for his soul, so God took him and put Elijha in his place.. and before Elijah leaves Elisha he said to him:
“ … 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… Then it happened, as they continued on and talked, that suddenly a chariot of fire appeared with horses of fire, and separated the two of them; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven… And he took hold of his own clothes and tore them into two pieces, He also took up the mantle of Elijah that had fallen from him, and went back and stood by the bank of the Jordan, Then he took the mantle of Elijah that had fallen from him, and struck the water, and said: Where is the LORD God of Elijah? And when he also had struck the water, it was divided this way and that; and Elisha crossed over “ (2 Kings 2 : 9 – 14).

Elisha the prophet heard about Elijah and saw the anointing that was on him, he knew how this man killed all the prophets of Bael.. but he also heard how this great prophet was afraid of the wicked Jezebel when she threatened him.. and how he withdrew and didn’t finish his calling.. for this reason, when Elijah asked him: What may I do for you, before I am taken away from you? He said: “ Please let a double portion of your spirit be upon me ( double spiritual power than you) ”.

He knew the hostile wars he’s going to face when starting his ministry, he knew that Jezebel was still alive, and he didn’t want to face the same fate as Elijah, he knew that the solution is in, a double portion of anointing, stronger than the one that was upon Elijah, he asked and got what he wanted, he took the double anointed mantle, struck the water, it was divided this way and that; and Elisha crossed over.

The Jordan River !!!
Let’s contemplate on this river..

Before ELisha comes.. Joshua crossed this river also:
“ Behold, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth is crossing over before you into the Jordan… And it shall come to pass, as soon as the soles of the feet of the priests who bear the ark of the LORD, the Lord of all the earth, shall rest in the waters of the Jordan, that the waters of the Jordan shall be cut off, the waters that come down from upstream, and they shall stand as a heap... and as those who bore the ark came to the Jordan, and the feet of the priests who bore the ark dipped in the edge of the water (for the Jordan overflows all its banks during the whole time of harvest), that the waters which came down from upstream stood still, and rose in a heap very far away… and were cut off; and the people crossed over opposite Jericho, Then the priests who bore the ark of the covenant of the LORD stood firm on dry ground in the midst of the Jordan; and all Israel crossed over on dry ground, until all the people had crossed completely over the Jordan “ (Joshua 3 : 11 – 17).

Then the psalmist comes to highlight this incident saying in psalm 114:
" When Israel went out of Egypt, The house of Jacob from a people of strange language… The sea saw it and fled; Jordan turned back… What ails you, O Jordan, that you turned back? … Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the Lord, At the presence of the God of Jacob " (Psalms 114 : 1 – 7).

What will we learn from all this?
Beloveds: our war against Satan is not a trip.. the accidents, the oppressions, the attacks we face are real and true, and we should deal with them seriously and firmly, with true faith and double anointing.. if we want to live the victorious life Jesus gave us by paying His precious blood as a price, and if we want to enjoy all the blessings we have in Christ, to take back all the territories the enemy took from us, to return back the captivated souls, to win our country to the Lord Jesus Christ.

Let us deal with this issue on 2 levels:

- personally

- generally, in the ministry and the wining of souls.

What hinders the promises and the fruit in your life and ministry?
Strong bondage? Repeated ones? Failure? Spiritual coolness? Doubts? Sickness and weary? Depression? Deep sadness? Financial pressure? Low self-esteem? Rejection? Fear and anxiety? Diseases? Stumbling rock to everything you do? Hostile wars?... etc
To sum it all.. a big river streaming like the Jordan river?

The solution is in what Elisha, Joshua, David, and Moses did, and all the men of God before us, who are not different than us, they all had weaknesses just like us, but they trusted the Lord who perform miracles, and cut the sees and rivers, and looked upon the author of our faith, for this reason they succeeded and overcame, and led a whole nation to freedom, rest, and fulfillment of promises and prophecies !!!

As we said, Elisha knew the brutality and seriousness of war, that’s why he asked Elijah for a double portion, but Elijah who was defeated and afraid of Jezebel said to him:
You have asked a hard thing..
This is a normal reply for servants and believers who went through many wars and fears that made them depressed not knowing the unlimited power of their Lord, and His right hand which never did and never will fall short from saving His people and sons. Maybe your situation today is like Elijah’s, and you say to me:
You have asked a hard thing, you don’t know my situation..

But I say to you, I know your situation and I understand what you are going through, but I want you today to know who is your God, to be strengthened and trust in Him, I want you to cry to Him like Elisha did, with tears, pleading Him to give you a double portion by the power of the Holy spirit so you can stand once again before the Jordan river, and say: where is the Lord God of Elijah? And struck the river to see the mighty hand of God cutting off the river and making you cross over its streaming water with ease and security, despite all the hardships and obstacles..

Do not stand still, proclaim your faith, trusting the presence and power of God in your life, move forward and step in the water before you see it rest down, for this is faith that sees things before they happen, and this is what Joshua and his people did. Notice the accuracy of inspiration:
and the feet of the priests who bore the ark dipped in the edge of the water (for the Jordan overflows all its banks during the whole time of harvest), that the waters which came down from upstream stood still, and rose in a heap very far away..

The Holy Spirit intended to mention that the river was overflowing to all its banks.. streaming not a simple spring.. and this is to make you understand the power and greatness of your God, that He is able to deliver you from the biggest and hardest problem that faces you in your life and ministry, this water didn’t stop when the people asked for it nor when they sat down waiting for it to happen, but when they took a step of faith, when the water was strongly overflowing , they believed, that is why they put their feet in the river trusting that when they do what the Lord asked them to do, He will fulfill His promise and stop the water and this is exactly what happened..
that the waters which came down from upstream stood still, and rose in a heap very far away..

Then what?
The priests bearing the ark.. bearing the presence of God, bearing the double anointing stood firm as the word says.. until all the people had crossed completely over..

Trust the Lord so you can cross over, and break your fear from the Jordan’s rage, so you might be able to stand firm and open the door to the lost souls to cross their Jordan too..
Do not count on your own power because you will surely fail, because the psalmist of psalm 114 that we mentioned earlier asked the Jordan river saying:
What ails you, O Jordan, that you turned back?
And he continued saying: Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the Lord..
When the Lord saw the faith of Joshua, Elisha, the priests and the people, He couldn’t stand still, He shacked the earth and splat the Jordan’s river, He removed the obstacles, and made the people cross with power and security..

Moses and Aron went to pharaoh and said to him: let my people go.. but pharaoh who symbolizes Satan today answered them:
" … Who is the LORD, that I should obey His voice to let Israel go? I do not know the LORD, nor will I let Israel go " (Exodus 5 : 2).

Then Moses came and cried out to the Lord.. he cried with faith, and then he heard these words from God’s mouth:
" … Now you shall see what I will do to Pharaoh. For with a strong hand he will let them go, and with a strong hand he will drive them out of his land " (Exodus 6 :1).
This shout of faith, and the miracles the Lord gave Moses to fulfill in front of pharaoh and his people, made that king and his people know who is the Lord, and forced them to listen yet obliged them by force to obey His command..

And that giant Goliath who stood scorning the people of God and caused their hearts to melt out of fear, a little shepherd named David came to him with sling and some stones, but with a heart full of faith and said to him:
" … You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin. But I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied… that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, Then all this assembly shall know that the LORD does not save with sword and spear; for the battle is the LORD’S, and He will give you into our hands " (1 Samuel 17 : 45 – 47).

The years went by, and time reached us now, and the war is still raging and increasing in hostility, the challenges are big, our vision is great, it is to win the whole country to the Lord, and the Lord ordered us to tell Satan let the people go, let the captivated souls go free..
Yet Satan is scorning us saying
Who is the LORD, that I should obey His voice to let the people go?

Moses knew the gravity of war and the power of pharaoh, that’s why he cried to the Lord who delivered the people with a might hand..
Joshua continued the walk and believed in God’s power, he obeyed His directions, so he crossed with the people the Jordan’s river which the Lord splat off in two..
Elisha understood the war and its gravity, he knew who Jezebel was and what she wants, so he cried to the Lord and asked Him for a double anointing..
David killed the giant in the name of the Lord of hosts..
And we, what are we going to do today?

Shall we stand in Satan’s face and make him see who is our God so he obeys Him, and force him to let go of the blessings and promises he is holding from us, and make him let the people and the captivated souls go free?
Or shall we cry to the Lord like Elijah did asking Him to take us, and say to the ones succeeding us:
It is a hard thing?
No, we shall not fail, we shall not stand astonished in front of Satan’s question, in front of the rage of the Jordan’s river, so let us come together in war as one man, and shout saying: where is the Lord God of Elijah? And by the power of the Holy Spirit, and with a double anointing from the Lord, we will strike the water and it will be divided this way and that, and we will stand firm in the midst of the river, until all the people cross over.. and he who lack this faith let him cry to the author of our faith, who will not be greedy with us , and who will say to each one of us this morning like He said to Moses:
Now you shall see what I will do to Satan. For with a strong hand he will let you and the captivated souls go…
To God be all glory…