The Mantle

1. Understand God Determines Your Mantle Ahead of Time

We do not select a mantle; God is the One who establishes and destines it. 

Elisha didn’t just receive Elijah’s mantle because he happened to be at the right place and time. It was already his according to God’s word.                    (1 Kings 19:16) Also you shall anoint Jehu the son of Nimshi as king over Israel. And Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abel Meholah you shall anoint as prophet in your place

Elisha needed to cooperate with the call of God on his life to receive the mantle that was his by God’s appointment. 

Elisha’s hunger and pursuit of Elijah were a sign of what God had placed in his heart.

A mantle is not ours for the choosing, it is determined ahead of time by God.

The desire God places in our hearts is just one indication, among other confirmations, of the calling that is ours.

2. Servanthood Positions you for the Mantle God has for you

For a long season, Elisha was a servant to Elijah. He supported him in a menial way and learned at his feet.                                                       (2 Kings 3:11) 11 But Jehoshaphat said, “Is there no prophet of the Lord here, that we may inquire of the Lord by him?” So, one of the servants of the king of Israel answered and said, “Elisha the son of Shaphat is here, who poured[a] water on the hands of Elijah.”

It can be tempting to go directly after a mantle, but just as with Elisha, God has established His timeline for your life. God positions you with people and leaders that He wants you to serve now. Serving with faithfulness and a teachable heart is a powerful means of being positioned to attain your God-ordained destiny.

3. Realize you may Wear a Series of Mantles

Before he took up Elijah’s mantle, Elisha worked in his father’s fields. And then, he wore the garb of a servant. When God took Elijah, Elisha took his cloak—the one he had worn as a servant—and tore it in two. There was no turning back. 

(2 Kings 2:12-13) 12 And Elisha saw it, and he cried out, “My father, my father, the chariot of Israel and its horsemen!” So he saw him no more. And he took hold of his own clothes and tore them into two pieces. 13 He also took up the mantle of Elijah that had fallen from him, and went back and stood by the bank of the Jordan.

4. Wait for an Appointment to Establish your Mantle

God appointed Elisha as Prophet and successor to Elijah—but God used Elijah to recognize, prepare, and establish that appointment.

Luke 24:49                                                                                     And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.

1 Peter 5:6                                                                       Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time,

Acts 1:8                                                                                 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

Your Father wants to reveal to you what He is up to, even if you are feeling today as though you are in the midst of a trial or a long period of waiting about your calling. He wants to show you how he is redeeming those trials, even the failures, and how He uses them for His purposes.

It is not too late. Like Elisha, as you stay faithful and committed in the long haul, you will ultimately live out the mantle God has for you. And the ministry God has for you will be above and beyond anything you could ever have dreamed.