By Tope Banso
“‘Grab it,’ Elisha said to him. And the man reached out and grabbed it” (2 Kings 6:7 New Living Translation).
Don’t waste divine opportunities. God will only set before you an open door; He won’t push you through it. Learn to seize divine opportunities. Don’t drag your feet once you’re certain that the opportunities are of the LORD. You don’t have all the time in the world to access divine doors or opportunities.
In 2 Kings 6, the axe head of one of the sons of the prophets fell into the river as he was using it to cut a tree. It was a borrowed axe. Prophet Elisha, who went with the sons of the prophet on this mission to cut trees for the expansion of their meeting place, heard the cry of this son of the prophet. He intervened.
Elisha cut a tree and threw it into the river and the axe head floated. That was not ordinary; it was supernatural. But the axe head, being a piece of iron, would not float forever. That it ever floated was a miracle. “‘Grab it,’ Elisha said to him. And the man reached out and grabbed it” (2 Kings 6:7 New Living Translation).
The son of the prophet acted swiftly and grabbed it, because He knew what was at stake. It was a borrowed axe. What would he tell the person he borrowed the exe from? You must be as alert as this son of the prophet in grabbing divine opportunities. There should be no room for time wasting, except you’re not sure and you’re trying to confirm from the LORD if it is His will for you. But in the case of this son of the prophet, the will of God was not in question. He must return the borrowed axe and the man of God had done his part.
Elisha told him to grab it. This son of the prophet didn’t tell Elisha to help him grab it. Some people want the man of God to do everything for them. Grab it! That’s what Elisha said. He didn’t help that son of the prophet to grab it. The New King James Version puts it this way: “Therefore he said, ‘Pick it up for yourself.” In other words, Elisha would not help him to pick it up. Imagine if he had delayed. The axe head could have fallen back into the river. Grab it!
Your case may not be as serious as that of this man or may be much more serious. Don’t waste time. Don’t procrastinate. Don’t let opportunities God meant for you be passed to another person, because you didn’t act promptly.
Elisha surely knew the importance of grabbing it. His former boss, Elijah, had told him that if he could see him when he was being taken away, his request for the double portion of his spirit would be granted, but if not, it shall not be so (2 Kings 2:10). Double portion meant that he would be his successor. Elisha was absolutely serious about his request. He was determined to receive the double portion of the spirit of Elijah.
Suddenly, a chariot of fire appeared with horses of fire, and separated the two of them. Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven. Elisha acted decisively. He had not forgotten the condition for receiving the double portion of Elijah’s spirit. The condition was seeing Elijah at the time he would be taken away. It was not touching him or riding in the chariot with him so that when Elijah got to a place he would pray for him and ask him to disembark!
Since he saw him, as a proof, he began to describe what he saw. “And Elisha saw it, and he cried out, ‘My father, my father, the chariot of Israel and its horsemen!’ (verse 12). Probably he kept on shouting this statement until he saw Elijah no more. I am not sure if he knew whether or not Elijah heard what he said to prove to him that he had met the condition he gave him. With Elijah gone, Elisha was in distress and he tore his own cloth into two.
But he also did something else. 2 Kings 2:13 says, “He also took up the mantle of Elijah that had fallen from him, and went back and stood by the bank of the Jordan” (New King James Version). Probably Elijah’s mantle didn’t just fall. Elijah could have dropped it on purpose since he had to fulfill his promise to Elisha and he most probably could hear Elisha describing his transportation to heaven in a chariot of fire.
From then, Elisha became a new person. He stepped into the shoes of his master and he eventually performed twice the miracles of Elijah. That happened because he was focused and persistent, even when Elijah tried to discourage him from going with him on that journey. Also, when it mattered the most, he grabbed the opportunity to receive the double portion of the spirit of Elijah.
Grab your God-given opportunities. Seize them. Yours could be salvation. The Bible says today is the day of salvation (2 Corinthians 6:2). There is no salvation in the grave. There is no repentance after death. It is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment (Hebrews 9:27). Don’t waste any more time. Give your life to Jesus now. Grab the available opportunity before it’s too late.
The opportunity God is giving you could be for a miracle like the opportunity Jesus gave Peter to get a net breaking, boat sinking catch of fish. He seized the opportunity by allowing Jesus to use his boat to preach and by obeying Him to launch out into the deep (Luke 5:1-11). If he hadn’t grabbed the opportunity Jesus offered him, he would have gone home that day empty handed and might not have become Jesus’ disciple.
The widow of Zarephath and the Shunammite woman also didn’t miss the opportunities for their miracles by being kind to God’s servants – they sowed seed (1 Kings 17:9-24; 2 Kings 4:8-37). The prodigal son wasted no more time the moment he came to his senses after hunger had taught him a lesson! He didn’t only decide to return home, he returned, and the crisis in his life was resolved (Luke 15:11-32).
James 4:17 says, “Remember, it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it” (New Living Translation). Grab every opportunity God gives you to do good. Don’t look for a perfect time (Ecclesiastes 11:4). Any good you do will come back to you in greater measure. Don’t do it because you want it back, but that’s how it works – it will surely come back, and the harvest is always more than the seed.
According to 2 Corinthians 9:10b, God “will give you many opportunities to do good, and he will produce a great harvest of generosity in you” (New Living Translation). Hebrews 13:16 says you should not forget to do good and to share, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.
Similarly, Galatians 6:9-10 says, “And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith” (New King James Version).
Paul said, in 2 Corinthians 2:12, that when he came to the city of Troas to preach the Good News of Christ, the LORD opened a door of opportunity for him. In Colossians 4:3, he asked the Colossian church not to forget to pray for him that God would give him “many opportunities to preach about his secret plan — that Christ is also for you Gentiles” (New Living Translation).
Don’t let divine opportunities pass you by. Grab them!
If you’re not born again, repent of your sins today and accept Jesus as your Lord and Saviour. Whoever comes to Him, He will by no means cast out.
PRAYER POINT: I shall not be careless in grabbing divine opportunities in Jesus’ name. I shall seize my God-given opportunities.
This is wisdom for living, and it’s worth sharing. Please share.
(For over 260 in-depth and insightful messages by T.O. Banso, visit: www.cedarministry.org).
▪ Banso, is a pastor and head of
Cedar Ministry International, Abuja,, and can be reached at cedarministryintl@yahoo.com, cedarministryng@gmail.com
Tel No: +2348155744752, +2348033113523; WhatsApp No: +2349081295947