Double Portion Of The Spirit

When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, “Tell me, what can I do for you before I am taken from you?”  “Let me inherit a double portion of your spirit,”  Elisha replied.  “You have asked a difficult thing,”  Elijah said, “yet if you see me when I am taken from you, it will be yours – otherwise not.”  As they were walking along and talking together, suddenly a chariot of fire and horses of fire appeared and separated the two of them, and Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind.  Elisha saw this and cried out, “My father!  My father!  The chariots and horsemen of Israel!”  And Elisha saw him no more.

– 2 Kings 2:9-12

Isn’t it Awesome to know that Elijah was taken up in a whirlwind with chariots and horses of fire?!!  Even after a thorough search had been made for him, he still could not be found!  It was because Elijah was taken up to heaven by God!  Elijah was a devout prophet of the Lord who was continuously led by God’s Holy Spirit!  God would use Elijah the prophet as his mouthpiece to speak his very words!  The Holy Spirit was so Strong upon Elijah that he rolled up his cloak, struck the water of the Jordan river and the water completely divided for him and Elisha to cross over on dry ground!  Yet Elisha made a profound request from Elijah before Elijah was taken up to heaven…  He said, “Let me inherit a double portion of your Spirit.”  Now that kind of request was hard for Elijah to grant because he did not have the power nor the authority to grant it!  Only God could grant such a request!  Nevertheless, Elijah told Elisha that if he witnessed him being taken up to heaven, then he would receive a double portion of God’s Holy Spirit that was upon him, but if Elisha didn’t see him taken up to heaven, then he would not receive it.  God could have chosen not to grant Elisha’s request from Elijah, yet as they were walking along and talking with each other, a chariot of fire and horses of fire suddenly appeared and took Elijah up to heaven in a whirlwind!  Elisha witnessed this and cried out, “My father!  My father!  The chariots and horsemen of Israel!”  And Elisha saw Elijah no more…  So Elisha wound up inheriting a double portion of Elijah’s Spirit, which was God’s Holy Spirit!!  And Elisha went on to do even more miraculous things because of the double portion of God’s Holy Spirit that was now upon him!  That is the POWER of God’s Holy Spirit!  How much do you desire to have God’s Holy Spirit upon you?  Do you desire it so much that you want a Double Portion of it just like Elisha??