When they came to the other side, Elijah said to Elisha, “Tell me what I can do for you before I am taken away.”
And Elisha replied, “Please let me inherit a double share of your spirit and become your successor.”
“You have asked a difficult thing,” Elijah replied. “If you see me when I am taken from you, then you will get your request. But if not, then you won’t.”
As they were walking along and talking, suddenly a chariot of fire appeared, drawn by horses of fire. It drove between the two men, separating them, and Elijah was carried by a whirlwind into heaven. 2 Kings 2:9-11 (NLT)
Elisha did get to see Elijah being carried away. And he went on to inherit a double portion of Elijah's spirit. But there is a part to this story that I didn't pick up on in the past.
As they were walking along, three times Elijah stopped in different towns and three times told Elisha to stay. Elisha said "No, thank you. I am in this til the end." And he kept on walking. Imagine if Elisha had stopped at any of those towns. He wouldn't have received the gift of God's Spirit that was waiting for him.
There were prophets at every town. None of them followed. They were content to stay where they were and do what they were doing. Elisha was not. Elisha wanted all of what God was offering to him. He wanted to experience all of his calling so he pressed on. He kept moving forward.
How many times do we stop before what God wants for us is realized? How many times to we wait for something huge to happen instead of following what we already know we should do?
What is God calling you to do today? Have you stopped short of the final destination?