Floating Iron

I finished reading an amazing book by Bill Johnson (Face to Face With God) and immediately started Fervent, by Priscilla Shirer. What struck me is that within a 24-hr. period, I read the same story in both of these books from 2 Kings 6 that I had never recalled hearing before. When I read Bill Johnson’s rendition of this story of the borrowed axhead falling into the water, I thought to myself, “Hmm. That’s a cool story. I wonder why I didn’t remember it from all of my scripture reading?”  But when, on the next day, I read Priscilla Shirer’s sharing of very same story, I decided I probably needed to take note.

For those who don’t know the story, this is what happened:

A group of prophets who were studying under the prophet Elisha came to him and said that the place where they were living was too small. They wanted to go to the river to find wood to build a bigger place. Elisha gave them permission, but one of the students asked his teacher to come with them. As they were cutting down a tree, one of them had a mishap with his axe. The iron axhead fell into the river, and he said, “Oh my Lord,…It was borrowed!” (2Kings 6:5).  Elisha asked the young prophet where it happened, and taking a stick, he threw it into the water where the student said it had fallen. The stick caused the iron to float, and the axhead rose to the surface so that the young man could then retrieve it.

Bill Johnson shared this passage in talking about how God loves to do the miraculous in ways that won’t make sense to us. We know there is no magic stick that makes iron float, but when God wants to show His strength in our weakness, even the heaviest of iron can change its physical properties.

Priscilla Shirer went more into depth about the motivation of the young prophet (he was using his ability to create something to bless the body of believers), as well as the social disgrace of losing something that had been borrowed. She also went into great detail, using this passage to provide several very strong points. I will not repeat her words here (the book is quite powerful—you should read it for yourself!), but her point is well taken.  We might be in the middle of doing something really important for the Kingdom, and know in our heart of hearts that we are where we are supposed to be, and then find ourselves like this young prophet suddenly being whammied into losing our axhead in mid-swing.

The important lesson for me from this is two-fold:

First, even when we are doing what we know to be God’s purpose for our lives, stuff happens.  We are not unique—in fact, we can count on something happening. Secondly, and most importantly, God is right there to put things back in order again so that His will is carried out.

The young prophet immediately went to God’s spokesman. He didn’t know what to do, but he went in earnest to the one who did. Elisha asked God what to do, and God told him to throw a stick into the water. Through Elisha’s obedience, God made iron float.

This is not an isolated case. I know Papa is waiting to partner with each of us to enjoy the miraculous. Not in a spectacular, showy kind of way, but He wants to walk with us in our joy and awe of how far He will go to win our hearts to Him and Him alone.

I’m looking for my next physics-defying miracle that will bring Him the glory that He deserves. It may not be making iron float, but whatever it is, I am sure that I will be just as enthralled as that young prophet must have been when he witnessed a simple stick thrown in the river changing the physical properties of an axhead.

I can’t wait to see what Papa has in store!