Open Heavens 2 November 2017: Thursday daily devotional by Pastor E. A. Adeboye –Expect Tests
Memorise: And Elijah said unto Elisha,
Tarry here, I pray thee; for the LORD hath sent me to Bethel. And Elisha said
unto him, As the LORD liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. So
they went down to Bethel. 2nd Kings 2:2
Read: 1st Peter 4:12-13 (KJV)
4:12 Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial
which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you:
4:13 But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's
sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with
exceeding joy.
2nd Kings 2:1-15 (KJV)
2:1 And it came to pass, when the Lord would take up Elijah into heaven by a
whirlwind, that Elijah went with Elisha from Gilgal.
2: 2And
Elijah said unto Elisha, Tarry here, I pray thee; for the Lord hath sent me to Bethel. And Elisha said
unto him, As the Lord liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will
not leave thee. So they went down to Bethel.
2:3 And the sons of the prophets that were at Bethel came
forth to Elisha, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the Lord will take away thy master from thy head
to day? And he said, Yea, I know it; hold ye your peace.
2:4 And Elijah said unto him, Elisha, tarry here, I pray
thee; for the Lord hath sent me to Jericho. And he said,
As the Lord liveth,
and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. So they came to Jericho.
2:5 And the sons of the prophets that were at Jericho came to
Elisha, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the Lord will take away thy master from thy head
to day? And he answered, Yea, I know it; hold ye your peace.
2:6 And Elijah said unto him, Tarry, I pray thee, here; for
the Lord hath
sent me to Jordan. And he said, As the Lord liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will
not leave thee. And they two went on.
2:7 And fifty men of the sons of the prophets went, and stood
to view afar off: and they two stood by Jordan.
2:8 And Elijah took his mantle, and wrapped it together, and
smote the waters, and they were divided hither and thither, so that they two
went over on dry ground.
2:9 And it came to pass, when they were gone over, that
Elijah said unto Elisha, Ask what I shall do for thee, before I be taken away
from thee. And Elisha said, I pray thee, let a double portion of thy spirit be
upon me.
2:10 And he said, Thou hast asked a hard thing: nevertheless,
if thou see me when I am taken from thee, it shall be so unto thee; but if not,
it shall not be so.
2:11 And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked,
that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted
them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.
2:12 And Elisha saw it, and he cried, My father, my father,
the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof. And he saw him no more: and he
took hold of his own clothes, and rent them in two pieces.
2:13 He took up also the mantle of Elijah that fell from him,
and went back, and stood by the bank of Jordan;
2:14 And he took the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and
smote the waters, and said, Where is the Lord God of Elijah? and when he also had
smitten the waters, they parted hither and thither: and Elisha went over.
2:15 And when the sons of the prophets which were to view at
Jericho saw him, they said, The spirit of Elijah doth rest on Elisha. And they
came to meet him, and bowed themselves to the ground before him.
Bible in one year: 1st Peter
2-5, Hosea 10, Hymn: Sing hymn 7
MESSAGE:
There are some vital lessons we can benefit from
the story of Elijah and Elisha found in our Bible reading today. The first
thing we see in that story is that God always has something better, more
precious and more glorious in store for His children. No matter where you are
and where you plan to be, God always has a better plan for you. This is why 2nd Timothy 1:9 says,
“Who hath saved us, and called us with an
holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and
grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began”
God has a unique purpose for your life. When you
become born again, you were called by God to fulfil that purpose, and He also
called you to holiness (1st
Thessalonians 4:7). This call of God on you is referred to as a
‘high calling’ (Philippians 3:14). Therefore,
no matter how good you are in strategic planning, there is still a need for you
to subordinate your plans under God’s will and allow Him to have His way in
your life. No wonder Psalm 37:5 says that you shall not fail to
commit your ways unto God and trust Him to help you in actualising your plans.
This is also why Proverbs 3:5-7 says
that you should always tell God of your plans, so that He will provide divine
guidance. Do you trust God enough to let Him direct your steps? Elisha was a
successful businessman before the mantle of God’s call fell on him, and he left
his business to fellow God’s plan for his life (1st
Kings 19:19). Eventually, he became a father to the whole nation of
Israel and kings called him ‘father’
Moreover, another lesson is that although God has a
higher glory ahead for you, He can use people, situations and circumstances to
test your resolve along the way. Sometimes when test come, we don’t recognise
them as tests, and because of this, many of us fail the test. You have to pray
that in the tests of life, you will not be a failure. When Prophet Elijah was
to be taken away, he told his servant Elisha that he had been sent by God on
some errands and that Elisha should not bother to follow him. Thank God Elisha
was dogged and sensitive enough to realise that it was a test, and he passed
the test brilliantly. Some tests of life are so crucial that failing them may
rubbish all the past good efforts one has put into achieving greatness. May you
not fail in the tests of life!
Prayer Point:
Father, Whatever tests I would have to go
through, please see me through. In the tests of life, let me not be a failure.
Open Heavens Daily Devotional Lessons was written by Pastor E.A.
Adeboye, the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, one of
the largest evangelical Church in the world and also the President of Christ
the Redeemer's Ministries.
iOpenHeavens is the electronic version of the Hard Copy. The Open Heavens devotional application is available across all mobile platforms and operating systems: iOS, Android, Blackberry, Nokia, Windows Mobile and PC.
iOpenHeavens is the electronic version of the Hard Copy. The Open Heavens devotional application is available across all mobile platforms and operating systems: iOS, Android, Blackberry, Nokia, Windows Mobile and PC.
hymn 7
1. O Jesus, I
have promised,
To serve Thee
to the end;
Be Thou
forever near me,
My Master and
my Friend;
I shall not
fear the battle
If Thou art
by my side,
Nor wander
from the pathway
If Thou wilt be my Guide.
2. Oh, let me
hear Thee speaking,
In accents
clear and still,
I dare not
trust my judgment:
Thy way shall
be my will;
Oh, speak to
reassure me,
To hasten or
control;
Oh, speak,
and make me listen,
Thou Guardian
of my soul.
3. O Jesus,
Thou hast promised
To all who
follow Thee
That where
Thou art in glory
There shall
Thy servant be;
And Jesus, I
have promised
To serve Thee
to the end;
Oh, give me
grace to follow,
My Master and
my Friend.
4. Oh, let me
see Thy footmarks,
And in them
plant mine own;
My hope to
follow duly
Is in Thy
strength alone.
Oh, guide me,
call me, draw me,
Uphold me to
the end;
And then in
Heav'n receive me,
My Savior and
my Friend
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