WHERE IS THE GOD OF ELIJAH?

sermon 3. Where is the God of Elijah?

A sermon preached on Friday, 21/12/2018

“Elisha picked up Elijah’s cloak, which had fallen when he was taken up. Then Elisha returned to the bank of the Jordan River. He struck the water with Elijah’s cloak and cried out, “Where is the LORD, the God of Elijah?” Then the river divided, and Elisha went across”─ 2 Kings 2:13.

As you have been here tonight, singing and praising God, the prayers we had made so far have been answered by God. Your needs tonight will be provided for you. Say amen! Our message comes inform of a question, which calls for the expectation of absolute answers. Literary critics may term it a rhetorical question─ a question that doesn’t demand for any answer.  But, for the reason that you are here tonight for Jesus the message will yield positive answers for us. 

You may have heard many things God did through Elijah, sparing him from the wrath of Queen Jezebel who vowed to kill him by all means, providing food for him in the days of draught and famine by the ravens and his angel, instructing the widow of Sarephath to feed him with her last resources, raising the widow’s son to life, challenging King Ahab over the worship of Baal, his contest with the prophets of Baal on Mount Camel, a place where the supreme power of God silenced the principality of the prophets of Baal with fire, Elijah speaking in the divine authority, commanding fire to consume the solders of King Ahazariah because he told them not to go to inquire from the gods of Ekron if Ahazariah would survive from his sickness and God’s presence even in the cloak of his servant, Elijah─ striking the Jordan river with his cloak and the river divided. It was by these miraculous signs that Elisha believed that God worked through Elijah, and he also believed that Elijah had a God who answers prayers in various dimensions, ─ by fire, with a poor widow, or even with birds of heaven.

“Where is the LORD, the God of Elijah” was a question Elisha cried out at the moment of his hopelessness, and abandonment. He was left alone to grieve over the divine disappearance of Elijah by the chariot of fire and horses of fire. He then wandered toward Jordan River, unfortunately, there was no boat nor ship to cross the river. The river became an obstacle to him, hindering him from crossing over to be in the stead of Elijah. He has become Elijah’s successor to head Elijah’s groups of prophets at Jericho, and Bethel. It may be that you are facing your Jordan River now, which may be your sorrows, problems, barrenness, and tears of hopelessness, unemployment, relentless disappointments in marriage or in any agreement. Each of such unpleasant situations may be what you are going through now, and they may block you from knowing the true happiness and joy. Thus, your Jordan River may hinder your prosperity, enshrining you in the web of frustration. Until you cry to God for rescue, your Jordan River can never dry, instead you keep on swimming and sinking in it. Cry to God now, and let that seaming predicament be over. Elisha would remain in that critical time of despair, where no one was around to help. He knew nothing about swimming nor would he venture to swim in such a mighty river where scorpions, and deadly sea creatures lived that would devour him. He did not depart from the teachings of his master─ calling the name of God even in the time of trouble. He knew that his master left something for him─ the cloak of power. He struck the river with it and the river did not divide immediately, a lesson we learn that natural elements don’t obey each other unless they hear from the supreme God. Then since the river did not divide by the striking of Elijah’s cloak, in tears Elisha cried, “Where is the LORD, the God of Elijah?” and the scripture says, the river immediately divided, and Elisha was able to cross over. 

The lesson is for you to learn, do what your pastors preach to you, believing in God, you shall cross your Jordan River, challenging every circumstance crippling you, trying to subject you to undesirable conditions. You shall be able to challenge the principalities of sorcerers, witches and witchcrafts operating against you in every corner of the road, overcoming those evil altars and shrines where you are being summoned in the spiritual realm. The God of Elijah will fight for you, frustrating the plans of kidnappers, and those that have tried to pay money to kidnap you, he will come by fire to destroy the charms of your enemies that have shattered your dreams, careers and ambitions. He will command his angels to make provision of food for you at a time you feel you have nothing to eat. May the God, the creator of heaven and earth, the owner of the land and seas that answers by fire be your God now and forever, amen.