Passing The Mantle

"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." 
2 Kings 2:8 (NIV)

Have you ever doubted whether God could use you like He used others?

When St. Francis of Assisi was asked what he would do if he knew he was going to die at sunset, he simply replied, "I would keep on hoeing my garden." His answer is a secret to faithful living—continuing God's work without fanfare, even to your final moment.

Elijah shows this same principle. On his last day on earth, he doesn’t retire to reminisce. Instead, he faces the impossible—a river too high to cross—and demonstrates God's power one final time. As fifty young prophets watch from a distance, Elijah takes his cloak, strikes the water, and the Jordan parts. It’s like St. Francis tending his garden until sunset: Elijah faithfully performed God's work until his final moment.

After Elijah's departure, Elisha faces the same river. Taking up Elijah's fallen cloak, he asks, "Where now is the Lord, the God of Elijah?" When he strikes the water, the river parts again. The power isn’t in the cloak or even in Elijah—it is in God alone, now working through Elisha.

This powerful transition reminds us that God's work doesn't depend on any single person. Men and women of God come and go, but the God of those men and women never goes.

Whatever impossibility you're facing today, remember that the God who empowered both Elijah and Elisha is ready to work through you. Trust His power instead of your own strength, and accomplish what seems impossible.

Prayer: Lord, thank You that Your power works through ordinary people. Help me rely on Your strength, not my own, as I face today's challenges.