January 8 / Elisha's Ridiculous Faith

Elisha’s life comes to an end in 2 Kings 13:10-21 and he saved his most bizarre and ridiculous miracle for last. After Elisha is dead and buried, Moabite raiders attack Israel while some Israelites are burying a man. The attack must have surprised them so they quickly reacted and threw the man they were burying into Elisha’s tomb. When the dead man came into contact with Elisha’s bones, it brought him back to life. Even in death, God continued to use Elisha as a conduit to help those in need and do amazing things in the lives of others. Elisha was a prophet whose faith, obedience, compassion, and courage were ridiculous. Whether was it was making the ax head float, burning his plow in obedience to Elijah’s call, or bringing a dead man back to life after he had died himself, Elisha is without question one of the most memorable people in the Bible. 

It’s time to get ridiculous like Elisha and stop holding back. It’s time to start taking risks and making decisions that the world might not understand. Elisha is a perfect example of what life can look like when you let go and decide to live with ridiculous faith. When you do let go and give it all to God, He can do amazing things in your life you never thought possible. It’s all up to you. What steps do you need to take to have the type of ridiculous faith that Elisha had?

BIBLE READING:
“In the thirty-seventh year of Joash king of Judah, Jehoash the son of Jehoahaz became king over Israel in Samaria, and reigned sixteen years. He did evil in the sight of the LORD; he did not turn away from all the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, with which he made Israel sin, but he walked in them. Now the rest of the acts of Joash and all that he did and his might with which he fought against Amaziah king of Judah, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel? So Joash slept with his fathers, and Jeroboam sat on his throne; and Joash was buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel. When Elisha became sick with the illness of which he was to die, Joash the king of Israel came down to him and wept over him and said, "My father, my father, the chariots of Israel and its horsemen!" Elisha said to him, "Take a bow and arrows." So he took a bow and arrows. Then he said to the king of Israel, "Put your hand on the bow." And he put his hand on it, then Elisha laid his hands on the king's hands. He said, "Open the window toward the east," and he opened it. Then Elisha said, "Shoot!" And he shot. And he said, "The LORD'S arrow of victory, even the arrow of victory over Aram; for you will defeat the Arameans at Aphek until you have destroyed them. " Then he said, "Take the arrows," and he took them. And he said to the king of Israel, "Strike the ground," and he struck it three times and stopped. So the man of God was angry with him and said, "You should have struck five or six times, then you would have struck Aram until you would have destroyed it. But now you shall strike Aram only three times." Elisha died, and they buried him. Now the bands of the Moabites would invade the land in the spring of the year. As they were burying a man, behold, they saw a marauding band; and they cast the man into the grave of Elisha. And when the man touched the bones of Elisha he revived and stood up on his feet.”
‭‭2 Kings‬ ‭13:10-21‬ ‭NASB‬‬