Heavenly Moments

 

Our eldest and I recently traveled out of town for a regional revival tent meeting. It was a cold, rainy weekend in New York, so I was a little reluctant to go. However, since her friends were all attending, I decided to take her. Unlike typical American meetings, Slavic gatherings are pretty unique because they tend to be extra long. We Slavs have a remarkable ability to endure long services; instead of the usual maximum of two hours, we can stretch it to, let’s say, maybe four hours.

 

Somewhere in the middle of the service, about 50 percent of the congregation was already socializing outside the tent. After a long procession of choir songs and numerous group performances, the final speaker was finally introduced and delivered a powerful message. This was followed by an amazing, heartfelt prayer service. “It was heavenly,” my daughter later admitted, “I’m so glad I stayed until the end.”

 

I was reminded of a story in the Old Testament about a character who experienced a heavenly moment because he was persistent and didn’t give up on waiting. His name was Elisha. God was about to take his mentor, Elijah, up into heaven, so Elijah began a journey. Elisha didn’t want to miss anything, so he followed Elijah closely. They traveled from Gilgal to Bethel, then to Jericho, and finally across the Jordan. Elijah kept asking Elisha to stay behind, but Elisha refused to leave his side. 

 

Elijah said to Elisha, “Stay here; the LORD has sent me to Bethel.” But Elisha replied, “As surely as the LORD lives and as you live, I will not leave you.” So, they both went down to Bethel. (2 Ki. 2:4)

 

There were other prophets there, but they followed at a distance. They knew that Elijah was going to be taken up by God, but they observed from afar. Elisha, however, stayed close and refused to back down. Because he walked in step with Elijah and continued to move forward with him, Elisha witnessed what the other prophets did not: he experienced a heavenly moment and saw the chariots of heaven come to take Elijah.

 

When Elisha returned, the other prophets asked if they should go look for Elijah. Clearly, they didn’t see or experience what Elisha had.

 

I learned something important about waiting for God's presence: He reveals Himself to those who patiently wait on Him, whether in collective gatherings or in solitary moments alone with Him. Sometimes our special Slavic programs feel like we started in Gilgal, then traveled to Bethel for a little while, and then regressed to Jericho. But God has a heavenly moment of experiencing Him prepared for those who don't fall back and remain with Him, step after step, along the way.