Running with the Giants: Elisha

Devotional

Day 1: Plowing Fields Under Heaven’s Bleachers

Elisha’s story begins with years of mundane labor—plowing fields, staring at oxen, and wondering if his life mattered. Yet God saw every furrow he carved, every obedient step taken in obscurity. Seasons of hiddenness are not wasted. Heaven’s “cloud of witnesses” cheers us on, not just in grand moments but in the daily grind. God measures faithfulness in the unseen, preparing us for future purpose. What feels ordinary today is the training ground for tomorrow’s miracles. [05:36]

“Your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.”
(Matthew 6:4, ESV)

Reflection: Where do you feel most unseen in your current season? How might God be using this hiddenness to prepare you for what’s next?

Day 2: Burning Plows to Build Altars

Elisha slaughtered his oxen and burned his plow—tools of his old life—to fully embrace God’s call. Surrendering security unlocks divine assignment. Letting go of “what was” creates space for “what could be.” Small obediences, like serving Elijah or cleaning a church bathroom, train us to steward greater things. Faithfulness in little things is God’s curriculum for greatness. [19:09]

“One who is faithful in very little is also faithful in much.”
(Luke 16:10, ESV)

Reflection: What “plow” have you been clinging to that God might be asking you to release? Where could small faithfulness today unlock bigger opportunities tomorrow?

Day 3: Praying Beyond “Bless This Food”

Elisha didn’t settle for safe prayers—he asked Elijah for a double portion of spiritual power. Bold requests honor God’s limitless nature. While “bless my food” prayers focus on survival, audacious prayers partner with heaven’s agenda. What if your biggest dreams are still too small? God waits for us to ask beyond our imagination, trusting His ability over our ability. [26:31]

“Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do even greater things than these…You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.”
(John 14:12-14, ESV)

Reflection: When did you last pray a prayer so big it required divine intervention? What kingdom-sized request have you been hesitating to bring to God?

Day 4: Digging Ditches in Dry Valleys

Elisha told armies to dig water trenches in a drought—a ridiculous act of faith. Obedience often precedes miracles. Moving dirt without rain seems foolish, but God fills prepared vessels. Our part is to grab shovels; His part is to send the flood. Action fuels faith. What ditch is God asking you to dig while waiting for His “rain”? [39:14]

“Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.”
(Hebrews 11:1, ESV)

Reflection: What practical step have you avoided taking because the miracle isn’t yet visible? How can you “dig ditches” this week in your relationships, work, or dreams?

Day 5: Turning Oxen into Anointing

Elisha’s 10-year apprenticeship under Elijah looked like stagnation—until it became preparation. Seasons of serving, studying, and waiting distilled character essential for miracles. God uses ordinary tools (plows, ice cream shops, spreadsheets) to shape extraordinary servants. Your present grind isn’t a detour—it’s the training montage before your breakthrough. [11:36]

“So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”
(2 Corinthians 4:18, ESV)

Reflection: What part of your daily routine feels most disconnected from your purpose? How might God be using it to build eternal resilience in you?

Sermon Summary

Hebrews 12 sets the frame by putting the race of faith inside a stadium full of witnesses who already finished, now cheering for those still running. The text names the race hard, with sin that “so easily entangles,” and then calls for perseverance under the gaze of heaven. Elisha’s story then steps onto the track as a living commentary on that call. His beginnings look like monotony and manure, twelve-hour days staring at ox rears, obscurity so thick it smells. Yet God writes greatness into ordinary fields and measures hearts where nobody claps. The call to give the best wherever God puts a person becomes the thread: God is watching seasons that feel small and hidden, not to shame a soul, but to discern what can be entrusted when greatness lands.

Elisha’s life shows that obscurity is not inactivity; it is apprenticeship. Ten years of “pouring water on hands” tutors the soul to sweat the small stuff because God does. Jesus’ word about the Father who sees in secret undercuts the demand to be seen and promises reward in due time. Faithfulness in the tiny corners of a life is not busywork; it is formation. Luke 16 tightens the point: the way a person handles very little is the way that person will handle much. The condition of the closet, the car, the calendar, and the conversations becomes a quiet liturgy that either readies a steward or exposes a wish for platform without weight.

Then the story pivots to the audacity of asking. Elijah’s last question, “What can I do for you?” opens a door that Elisha refuses to tiptoe through. A double portion is requested, and heaven calls it a difficult thing, not an impossible one. Small prayers shrink God; bold prayers say something true about him. Jesus answers that instinct in John 14 by tying “greater works” to asking in his name. The natural part belongs to the runner in the race: make the ask.

Elisha’s counsel finishes where crisis presses. When kings panic for water, the prophet calls for a musician. The presence of God becomes the wellspring. In that presence comes a strange command: “Make this valley full of ditches.” No wind, no clouds, no visible sign, just shovels in dry ground. Faith moves from inspiration to participation, trading sight for promise. The valley fills because God delights to meet natural obedience with supernatural supply. The race of faith, then, looks like this: cultivate presence, do something, and base life not on what is seen, but on what is unseen.

Key Takeaways

1. Give your best in obscurity. Hidden seasons are not wasted seasons. God watches responses, not résumés, weighing character where nobody notices. Obscurity tutors the heart away from applause toward the Father’s reward. Greatness often begins behind the oxen. [08:27]
2. Sweat the small, then carry more. Tiny obediences are training for trust. Order, excellence, and attention to detail become sacraments of stewardship that enlarge capacity. The person faithful with almost nothing will be faithful with almost anything. [23:06]
3. Ask monster-sized prayers of God. Requests reveal theology. Small asks imply a small God; audacious intercession honors his bigness. Elisha’s double-portion plea models a holy boldness that invites heaven to do difficult things. [27:53]
4. Move from inspiration to participation. Revelation asks for a shovel. Digging ditches without a cloud in sight is how faith behaves when God speaks. The natural step becomes the runway for the supernatural supply. [39:14]
5. Live by what is unseen. Sight will lie to a soul stuck in drought. Promise will not. When visible evidence fades, faith relocates to what God said and stays there until valleys fill. [41:20]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[02:23] - The race is hard but worth it
[03:16] - Meet Elisha in the bleachers
[05:19] - Slow starts and long waits
[06:15] - Life behind the oxen
[07:26] - God has greatness for you
[08:27] - God watches hidden seasons
[10:11] - Cloak on shoulders, call begins
[16:26] - The Father who rewards in secret
[18:21] - Thoughtfulness and the small stuff
[21:37] - Building community in the little things
[23:06] - Trusted with little, trusted with much
[24:47] - Ask big before the chariot arrives
[27:53] - Stop insulting God with small requests
[32:14] - Cultivate the presence of God
[36:41] - Do something, take a step
[39:14] - Dig ditches with no clouds
[40:16] - No wind, no rain, still water
[41:20] - Walk by faith, not by sight
[42:30] - Big prayers for a big God

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading
Hebrews 12:1 (ESV)
Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.

Observation Questions

Hebrews 12:1 describes the Christian life as a race surrounded by a "cloud of witnesses." What imagery does this create, and how does it connect to the idea of hidden seasons in Elisha’s story?
In 2 Kings 2:9, Elisha asks Elijah for a "double portion" of his spirit. Why might this request have been called a "difficult thing" (2 Kings 2:10), and what does it reveal about Elisha’s view of God? [27:53]
What practical action did Elisha take in 2 Kings 3:16-17 when God told him to "make this valley full of ditches," even though there was no visible sign of rain? [39:14]

Interpretation Questions

The sermon emphasizes that "obscurity is not inactivity; it is apprenticeship." How does Elisha’s 10-year season of pouring water on Elijah’s hands (2 Kings 3:11) illustrate this principle? [11:10]
Jesus says in Luke 16:10, "Whoever is faithful in very little is also faithful in much." Why might God intentionally test people’s faithfulness in small, unseen areas before entrusting them with greater responsibility?
The command to "dig ditches" in a dry valley (2 Kings 3:16-17) required faith without visible evidence. How does this challenge the assumption that God’s promises must align with immediate circumstances? [40:16]

Application Questions

Reflect on a current "hidden season" in your life (work, family, service, etc.). How can Hebrews 12:1 reshape your perspective on perseverance when no one seems to notice? [08:27]
Identify one "small thing" in your daily routine (e.g., tidiness, punctuality, kindness to strangers). How could intentional faithfulness in this area prepare you for greater stewardship? [20:17]
What "monster-sized prayer" have you hesitated to ask God for, fearing it might be too bold or impossible? How does Elisha’s example challenge you to rephrase that request this week? [28:19]
Is there a situation in your life where you’re waiting for "visible signs" (e.g., answered prayer, direction) before taking action? What "ditch-digging" step could you take this week, even without certainty? [36:41]
How might cultivating God’s presence through worship, prayer, or Scripture reading shift your focus from visible outcomes to eternal promises? [33:55]

Sermon Clips

40s

“Like let it not be said of you and let it not be said of me that the summation of my prayers, that all of my prayers add up to a food blessing. I mean I've been I've been praying that God would bless my food and that none of the calories would count for like years and years. He doesn't seem to be answering that prayer but he does answer prayers that are big and bold and audacious over time. What would it look like to ask God some bold prayers? Elisha, instead of asking a bless my food prayer, he went for a bold prayer instead. And and Elijah comes and goes, what can I do for you? And Elisha says, well, since you're asking, let me inherit a double portion of your spirit.”

43s

“Why not pray prayers for your job that are just so large and so ridiculous only God could come through and do it? I I think Elisha would look at his life and he would run the lap with us and he would say things like this, listen, I only know a few things from my life. I know God was watching in my obscurity. I know that God was watching as I was stewarding the little things, and I know that God wanted me to step up and ask big things. And lo and behold, once Elijah was gone, Elisha would end up seeing 28 recorded miracles through his ministry and his life only second to the Lord Jesus Christ in all of scripture. That's incredible. Here's the reminder, don't give up on dreaming.”

43s

“And I actually believe that God would look every single one of us in the eye here today and ask the same question, What can I do for you? What can I do? And I think if we went back this week and we just measured what are the requests that we're bringing before the Lord that for a lot of Christians the summation of their requests that they bring before the Lord could be summed up in this, Lord bless my food. Do you ever think about how often we pray bless my food? I think that God is well capable of blessing food but here's what I know about the Lord, he's capable of a whole lot more than blessing my food.”

43s

“God begins to birth things inside of you in his presence, and God has so much more for you than you will ever realize. And the only way that you'll begin to have the light bulb come on and discover his great plans and purposes is if you stay close to him. I love the way that they talk about the disciples of Jesus in Acts chapter four. It says, when they saw the courage of Peter and John, they realized these are just unschooled and ordinary men, but they were astonished and they took note that what? That these men had been with Jesus. Like they're turning the world upside down not because they're so gifted and so amazing and have been to the best Ivy League schools. They're turning the world upside down because they're close in the presence of God.”

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