"Elijah took his mantle and folded it together and struck the waters, and they were divided here and there, so that the two of them crossed over on dry ground."
2 Kings 2:8
Elijah and the young Elisha hiked along the trails and highways of Israel for a number of years together. Elisha watched and learned, as Elijah called the people to the faith of the Lord God. Elijah continued to confront Ahab, and later, King Ahaziah as well with the truth of God.
One day, probably an ordinary-looking day, Elijah asked Elisha to stay behind while he traveled to Bethel. But Elisha was a faithful disciple of Elijah. He wanted to assist, learn, and grow from any and every moment possible with Elijah. Elisha responded, “As the Lord lives and as you yourself live, I will not leave you” (2 Kings 2:2). So they traveled together.
Now, in some way, Elisha had learned that God intended to take Elijah away on that very day. So Elisha was determined to savor every last moment with his mentor and friend.
At Bethel, Elijah asked Elisha to stay there while he went to Jericho. Again, Elisha said, “I will not leave you.” So they traveled
to Jericho together.
In Jericho, Elijah
asked Elisha to stay there while God sent him to the Jordan. Elisha said,
“I will not leave you” (2 Kings 2:6).
So they walked to the Jordan.
Your Way or God's Way?
Fifty young men of the sons of the prophets watched as Elijah and Elisha approached the rushing Jordan River. Elijah could have requested for the young men to get them a boat to cross the river. Elijah could have looked up and down the river for a narrower place to cross.
The Jordan was a barrier to where the Spirit of God was leading Elijah and Elisha. The river was getting in the way. Elijah wanted to cross the river God’s way, not by his own power.
“Elijah took his mantle and folded it together and struck the waters, and they were divided here and there, so that the two of them crossed over on dry ground” (2 Kings 2:8). The fifty young sons of the prophets watched with mouths agape, as Elijah struck the Jordan River with his mantle. He struck the waters by faith in the almighty power of God. He struck the waters with expectation that God would part them. And God did! Elijah walked across calmly. Elisha crossed the river in awe!
Elijah’s mantle was just as much a symbol of God’s power and authority as was Moses’ staff. There was no magic or power in the mantle, but all power and authority in God. The message was undeniable: No river, no challenge that stands in the way of what God has called us to do is ever bigger than the God who called us to cross it! Rivers are for crossing...in God’s way!
Putting My Feet in the Jordan
We had a river to cross when we moved to Canada. We came to Lacombe, Alberta with less than one hundred dollars in cash, and that was it. Our “river to cross” was that we needed to find a place to rent to stay immediately.
“Let’s go look for a house to rent!” I said to my wife after a few days with kind friends. April looked at me with big question marks in her eyes, “What kind of house are we looking for in the less-than-a-hundred-dollar range?” she asked.
“Let’s pray that God will help us find the house He wants us to have, and then we will trust that He will bring us funds to rent it.” I offered. April, Jessica, and I began to look for a place to live. We knew we were only a few weeks away from the first snowfall, so finding a place was on top of our list of priorities!
We finally found a cute, little house that April liked. It was close to Jessica’s school, close to the grocery store, the bank, and the post office. “When the weather gets bad, I can easily get to everything I need, even if the roads are slippery.” April said. The owner told us the monthly rent and that he needed the same amount for a security deposit. We were stunned! We felt numb. It was a much smaller place than we had lived in for a very long time, but the price was more than we were used to paying.
We prayed, and God impressed us that we had found the right place to live. But where were we to get that much money? We had no clue.
We kept praying, and God impressed us to step into the proverbial Jordan River and cross it! We called the owner, and he said, “If you are serious about renting, better get it quick.” “Great!” I said, “I will be over tomorrow evening at 7:00 p.m. to sign the papers.”
“And bring your rent and security deposit,” the owner added helpfully. Quietly I said, “Yes, sir.”
That night, we prayed and prayed. The next morning, we prayed and claimed God’s promises to take care of all our needs. We claimed Philippians 4:19: “And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.”
I went to an early-morning revival where I was speaking. It was 5:58 a.m., and I was opening my Bible on a small podium, while people gathered to pray. I was just getting ready to begin the meeting when a man came up to me, grabbed me by the collar, and pulled me out into the hallway. We had only been in Canada a few days. My mind raced to think of what horrible thing we could have done to anybody to cause someone to publicly yank me by my collar out of a prayer meeting. I was completely baffled.
The man lowered his voice, “This morning, I was walking through our dark house to come to this prayer meeting. When I passed the TV, God strongly impressed me to stop, shove my hand above the TV, and to grab any cash I had there. That is where I keep my cash from my jobs. So, in the dark, I grabbed all the cash lying there and stuffed it into this envelope. God told me you needed it!” he said as he took the envelope out of his pocket and stuffed it into my jacket pocket. Then, giving me a firm push, he said, “Now, go back in there and call us to a revival. We need it around here!”
I got home and handed April the envelope. She opened it and began to count. Her eyes opened wide, “Wow! After returning a tithe on this to God, we have enough to pay the security deposit!”
“Awesome!” I replied. My dear, practical wife softly asked, “What about the other half of what we need in a few hours? We still need the first month’s rent.”
“I know!” I replied. “Let’s thank God for giving us the security deposit. Let’s ask Him to provide all we need.”
Over the next few hours, we checked the post office box to see if God had sent us any money. Nothing. We checked our voicemail messages, email messages, and texts. There was nothing. “What are you going to do?” asked April. “It’s time for you to go and sign the papers and pay the first month’s rent.”
“I
am going to put my feet in the Jordan!” I replied.
My heart was thumping as I pulled up to the rental house to meet the owner. I fingered the envelope with half of what we needed. “God,” I ventured, “You can multiply this cash just like you multiplied the five barley loaves and two fish. We need your help.”
I rang the doorbell. The owner welcomed me in and asked abruptly, “Did you bring the money for the rent and the deposit?”
I couldn’t lie. I replied, “Here is the money I brought.”
We sat down at the kitchen table. I placed the envelope with the cash for the security deposit on the table and slowly pushed it across to the owner.
I watched that envelope like a hawk. I knew God had the power to double my money. This is going to be quite a miracle! I said to myself. The owner began to count the money from my envelope. I was excited to see how God was going to part the waters for the river crossing. When the owner had counted the number of hundred-dollar bills that would pay for a security deposit, he stopped. He looked in the envelope for the rest of the money. There was nothing more.
He stared me right in the eyes without smiling. He was waiting for my explanation or my excuse for bringing only half of what was needed.
I didn’t flinch,
neither did I say a word. “Well,”
he asked, “This is all you brought?”
“Yes sir! It’s all I brought.” I answered.
“Hmmmm.” He stared at the lonely stack of insufficient hundred-dollar bills. “I’ll tell you what. I will take this as the security deposit, and you can have the first month’s rent free. Let’s sign the rental agreement.”
I could not have signed faster! We crossed our river, and God parted the waters!
Call to Action
What river needs crossing in your life right now? What stands in the way for you to do what God is calling you to do?
Cross your river.
Walk through obstacles to your faith by the authority of God’s Word.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman \ Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. www.lockman.org
