²⁹ Elisha said to Gehazi, “Get ready, take my staff, and go! If you encounter anyone, don’t stop to greet them. If anyone greets you, don’t reply. Put my staff on the boy’s face.”

³⁰ But the boy’s mother said, “I swear by your life and by the LORD’s life, I won’t leave you!” So Elisha got up and followed her.

³¹ Gehazi went on ahead of them. He set the staff on the young boy’s face, but there was no sound or response. So he went back to meet Elisha and told him, “The boy didn’t wake up.” (2 Kings 4:29-31, CEB)

This post is more directed at me than anyone else. I’ve journaled about it as well, but I’m still thinking out loud about ministry, laziness, the flesh, egos… all that good stuff.

Elisha has prayed for the Shunnamite woman to conceive. Years before she had built a room for Elisha, allowing him a place to stay when he was in the area. Imagine the scandal. A single prophet living in the home of a married woman…

I digress.

Elisha prayed and the woman conceived. Flash forward several years. The son has just died and the woman has gone out to hunt down Elisha. Finding him she rips into him for giving her a son and then letting him die.

Elisha calls his servant Gehazi and gives him his staff. He tells Gehazi to run ahead and lay the staff on the dead son.

He didn’t get up and go right away. He sent the servant.

There are good reasons for doing this. Perhaps he is up in years a bit and he can’t move as fast. He wants the answer to come quickly so he sends the servant with his staff. It represents him.

Perhaps he is not feeling well. He just needs someone to get there quicker.

There is also a reason that’s not so “nice.” He may have just been lazy. He may have thought, “I am really tied up with things here. Sending my servant with my staff should do the job.”

We don’t know why. Those who love prophets and think prophets can do no wrong will go with the first option. That’s okay.

It’s that second option that challenges me. Not because I think Elisha was in that category. It’s because too often I find myself in that category.

There are several issues facing me currently that require far more of me than I feel I can give right now. Yet, it’s not a matter of wanting to be more busy. They are issues that truly need my attention.

And I’m trying to send substitutes. I am trying to throw a little effort in and hoping for a big result.

Of course it’s not working! DUH!

There are times as ministers, as pastors, as prophets… we need to push the effort through. YES we are tired. YES we are pushed to the limit. YES we have too many things on our plates.

But there is a call from God and sending some substitute won’t get it done. We have to go and lay on the dead body ourselves! Resurrection can happen.

Push through.