Devotional Messages

DEVOTIONAL MESSAGE

2 Kings 2:2 – “Elijah said to Elisha, "Stay here; for the LORD has sent me as far as Bethel." But Elisha said, "As the LORD lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you. So they went down to Bethel."

You are invited to read another of our lectionary scriptures for the week, 2 Kings 2: 1-12: the story of Elijah being taken to heaven & Elisha receiving a blessing to continue as prophet in his stead. I’d invite you to read it in Lectio Divina practice style, using the following practice:
The steps of the Lectio Divina:

• Choose a text of the Scriptures that you wish to pray.
• Find a quiet spot to do this
• Calm your anxieties and thoughts, and acknowledge God’s presence
• Offer a prayer for inspiration and guidance.

1. Lectio: Read the text slowly and prayerfully, constantly listening for that word that God has prepared for you.  You may want to re-read the same text multiple times to help quiet yourself and focus on God’s voice.  Listen and receive the Word that God speaks to you.
2. Meditatio: When a word or phrase strikes you, stop and rest with it.  Repeat the word or phrase to yourself.  Allow it to speak to you in a personal way by pondering the word in your heart, reflecting on what that means to you.  Memorize it and repeat it to yourself, allowing it to interact with your thoughts, hopes, memories, and desires.
3. Oratio:  Prayer is your response to God’s Word.  It begins your dialogue with God that comes from your heart.  Formulate a prayer, as a response to God.  What do you want to say to God in response to what you have heard?  This is a time to enter into conversation with God.
4. Contemplatio: Rest in God’s presence and receive God’s transforming embrace.  Sit still with God, realizing that in this deep and profound relationship, words are not necessary.  Be content and at peace with a wordless, quiet rest in God, which brings joy to the heart.  Remember that contemplation is not your action or doing, it is allowing God to act in you.

Click here to print a card of guidance for this practice. You can use it again & again.

What strikes you most about this story?

Is it Elisha’s dogged persistence to stay with Elijah? Even when he & the other prophets know that Elijah will be taken away that day?

Is it that they go from significant place to significant place in the religious tradition, only to have the chariots arrive at a seemingly random one?

Is it Elisha ripping his clothes in agony & grief when Elijah disappears?

Is it the continuity of leadership, and the many prophets who share in telling God’s word?

Is it Elisha asking for a double portion of blessing from God, and Elijah responding that it is really only in God’s power to grant, though Elisha staying on the journey makes it possible?

Is it the chariots and horses of God’s fire, and the whirlwind from heaven? Strangely enough, this seems rather buried in the story, which mostly follows the journey, and the persistence to go on & on even when fear, doubt, uncertainty are undoubtedly present.

Perhaps the thing that most stands out to you, or resonates with your being at this point in your journey is the thing you feel most tender about. Might this tender place be where God can enter in? What invitation do you feel from God for this moment in your faith journey & the journey of Vista La Mesa Christian Church?

You are invited to share with your VLM beloveds some of your prayers, reflections, & gifts of grace from God received through this practice, that we might move more deeply into God’s Spirit of Transfiguration.