“All you have to do is ask.” All you had to do to get that treat after dinner was ask. All you had to do to get some help on a project was ask. All you had to do to get what you desired was ask. I recently had this very comment come out of my mouth with my nephew, instead of sneaking an extra mini marshmallow, was ask, and he would have received. But I think we’re also taught pretty quickly that it can go “better” for us when we ask for forgiveness over permission.
And I’m sure in your adulthood, you’ve realized that no, you don’t just need to simply ask and receive. Oh, you asked for that job as a doctor…but never went to medical school, I don’t think you will be getting a call back. You asked for a new car at the dealership, I doubt you drove off with a new set of wheels that day. You asked for a degree, show me the years of studying it took to earn it. No, unfortunately, very little is received by simply asking.
But Jesus.
Jesus is received by simply asking. And when you read the Word of God, you discover people who asked for things in faith, and they were given freely. No, not jobs, cars, or degrees; but callings, power, miracles, anointing, purpose, sometimes even their heart’s desires. This happens in Christians today, not just in biblical times, so if you’re new to faith in Christ, start asking people about their testimony. But for today, let’s look at when a man simply asked for a double portion.
2 Kings 2:8-13 “Elijah took his cloak, rolled it up, and struck the water with it. The water divided to the right and to the left, and the two of them crossed over on dry ground. When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, “Tell me, what can I do for you before I am taken from you?” “Let me inherit a double portion of your spirit,” Elisha replied. “You have asked a difficult thing,” Elijah said, “yet if you see me when I am taken from you, it will be yours—otherwise, it will not.” As they were walking along and talking together, suddenly a chariot of fire and horses of fire appeared and separated the two of them, and Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind. Elisha saw this and cried out, “My father! My father! The chariots and horsemen of Israel!” And Elisha saw him no more. Then he took hold of his garment and tore it in two. Elisha then picked up Elijah’s cloak that had fallen from him and went back and stood on the bank of the Jordan.”
In ancient Jewish culture, it was customary for the eldest son to receive a double portion of the inheritance. Elisha is asking, as Elijah’s spiritual son, to be given an even bigger outpouring of power than what was already on Elijah’s life. It wasn’t a selfish request. Elisha knew that if he was going to continue on with this ministry, he was going to need the Spirit of the Lord to empower him! He showed great humility and basically said, “I know I can’t do this in my own power, and I feel underqualified, so I am going to need double what the Lord gave you, Elijah!”
And Elijah’s response wasn’t that comforting, he basically responded with, “oh…well that’s a tough one. Let’s see what God does when I’m gone!” Both men know that Elijah’s time is coming to an end, the Lord is preparing to take him to heaven, so I’m sure Elisha is feeling like he’s about to be abandoned by his friend and mentor and he’s looking for a little more than a “wait and see!”
But, Elisha was bold and asked for the double portion. And we see that Elisha’s request was granted, he saw Elijah being taken up into heaven, and picking up the cloak, he used it to part the waters of the Jordan river once again. “Elisha then picked up Elijah’s cloak that had fallen from him and went back and stood on the bank of the Jordan. He took the cloak that had fallen from Elijah and struck the water with it. “Where now is the Lord, the God of Elijah?” he asked. When he struck the water, it divided to the right and to the left, and he crossed over.”
2 Kings 2:13-14
Okay, so that shows that the mantle had officially been passed to Elisha and he was now a prophet of God, which is what he had been training for. (1 Kings 19:19) But you might stop and say, well, he only performed the same miracle, where is the double in that? Elisha performed 28 miracles during his life, while Elijah performed 14, double. But I do encourage you, don’t get caught up on the numbers game, Elisha was not asking for twice as many miracles as his mentor, he wanted to be seen as the right man for the job. He wanted the double portion because it was a mark of a firstborn (spiritual) son, and he probably needed the confidence boost at the start of his personal ministry.
Solomon asked for wisdom, David asked for the Lord to search his heart, Gideon asked God for signs. They were flawed men, sure, but were flawed too. What was the last thing you asked God for? And while God meets our “worldly” needs, new cars, jobs, financial breakthroughs, etc. What is the last thing you asked God for in relation to your relationship with Him? “Holy Spirit, I need help praying for others, my prayers are so self-focused!” “Jesus, teach me to let go of this bitterness and be content in you.” “Jesus help me desire you again.”
“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.” Matthew 7:7-8
I want to be bold like Elisha and start praying for a double portion. He is able to do exceedingly more than we can ever imagine, so why, when it comes to praying for our relationships with Him, would we hold back?
I pray a double portion of the Lord’s blessing over you today, over your prayer time with Him today. May He lead us all to be bold and ask our loving Father for His good gifts.
Becca Drumheller
