Elisha was working in his field when Elijah passed by and placed his mantle upon him. Scripture does not tell us everything Elisha understood in that moment, but the mantle represented an invitation to follow God into a different season of service. 

As I read about Elijah’s encounter with Elisha, I began thinking about the times God has called me beyond what was familiar. There was no detailed explanation of what Elisha would experience. He was not shown every challenge or given a complete plan. He simply had to decide whether he would respond.

I have faced moments like that in my own journey. I remember my first opportunity to serve in a leadership role with Women’s Ministries. I had concerns and reservations. I wondered whether I was ready for the responsibility and whether I had what it would takes to serve the women God was calling me to lead.

Maybe you have asked similar questions: Am I ready for this? Do I have enough experience? What if people do not receive me? God has not always called me at moments when I felt confident. More often, His invitation came with questions and a need to trust Him.

I think about God’s Hands, the interpretive sign-language ministry God placed on my heart many years ago. In the beginning. There were moments when I wondered whether I had misunderstood what God was asking me to do. But the desire remained.

At the time, I had no idea what God had in store. I could not see thirty years into the future or imagine how God’s Hands would minister to so many different people. I did not know how God would use sign language to reach hearts in ways spoken words sometimes could not. All I had was the desire to serve.

Looking back, I can see that God was working through my experiences, gifts, disappointments, and even rejection. What could have caused me to give up became part of the journey that strengthened my faith.

Perhaps that is one of the lessons found in Elisha’s mantle. God’s call does not always arrive with complete instructions. Sometimes it begins as an idea that continues to return to your thoughts. It may be a concern for a particular group of people or a desire to create, lead, teach, encourage, or reach someone who might otherwise be overlooked.

We may dismiss that stirring because it feels too difficult or because we do not feel qualified. Yet sometimes we only understand what God was doing after we look back and see how He guided us along the way.

Elisha could not have known where his decision would lead. In the same way, I could not see where the ministries God has invited me to do would take me. I only knew that something had been placed before me and that I needed to respond.

Is there something that keeps returning to your thoughts? Is there an idea, ministry, or desire to help others that you have been hesitant to pursue? Perhaps it is more than an idea. It may be God calling you beyond what is familiar.

You may not know what the future holds, but you can trust God with your willingness. When He places the mantle upon your life, He will walk with you as the purpose of that calling unfolds. What has God placed on your heart that may be calling you beyond what is familiar?

Pearl's Prayer:

Lord, help me recognize Your calling, even when I feel uncertain or unprepared. Give me courage to respond to what You place before me. Use my gifts, experiences, and even my disappointments to minister to others. When I cannot see the entire journey, help me trust You with the next step. In Jesus' name . Amen.

I Am The Vessel, God Is The Grace