Have you ever considered what was in the mind of Elisha as he walked with Elijah and crossed the Jordan River to the place where God would take up Elijah into heaven? What prompted him to ask for double Elijah’s anointing? The scripture says, ‘as a man thinketh in his heart, so is he’; for out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth proceeds in speech. This means that Elisha was in constant thought of Elijah’s anointing and was thinking that he needed to do more, therefore needing a greater anointing.
But here is an important reminder: when you pray, while all Israel prayed for the blessing of Ephraim to fall on them and their children, the father of Obed of the tribe of Judah prayed that God would give the scepter of righteousness to his children. Now, while others were considering material blessings, he was contemplating leadership and guiding others in the way of righteousness. And, of course, you know the result of that prayer, and for those who don’t know, you can find it in the book of Samuel.
Accompanying Bible Verses:
- **Proverbs 23:7 (KJV):** “For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he: Eat and drink, saith he to thee; but his heart is not with thee.”
- **Genesis 48:20 (NIV):** “So he blessed them that day and said, ‘In your name will Israel pronounce this blessing: ‘May God make you like Ephraim and Manasseh.” So he put Ephraim ahead of Manasseh.”
- **1 Samuel 2:35 (NIV):** “I will raise up for myself a faithful priest, who will do according to what is in my heart and mind. I will firmly establish his priestly house, and they will minister before my anointed one always.”