So Elijah went from there and found Elisha son of Shaphat. He was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen, and he himself was driving the twelfth pair. Elijah went up to him and threw his cloak around him. Elisha then left his oxen and ran after Elijah. “Let me kiss my father and mother goodbye,” he said, “and then I will come with you.” “Go back,” Elijah replied. “What have I done to you?” So Elisha left him and went back. He took his yoke of oxen and slaughtered them. He burned the plowing equipment to cook the meat and gave it to the people, and they ate. Then he set out to follow Elijah and became his servant. 1 Kings 19:19-21 NIV
When Elisha was called into service by God he was a farmer, plowing his field, but God had something greater in mind for Elisha. Isn’t that often the case? We live our lives, going from day to day tending to whatever business or role we’ve grown accustom to, then God steps in and calls us to something greater. Like us, Elisha had no way of knowing all that awaited him as he followed the God’s plan for his life, he just had to walk in obedience and trust that whatever God had in mind was best. It’s hard to step out in faith and follow God into the unknown!
Notice what Elisha did, he burned the plowing equipment and slaughtered his oxen. There was no turning back for Elisha! He understood that God wanted him to follow Elijah and he determined to completely commit to whatever plan God had for his life. He destroyed his farming equipment, ensuring that going back to his old way of life was no longer on option! What if we followed God’s call on our lives with the same level of commitment we see in Elisha? What if the moment we understood the direction God wanted us to head in, we made radical changes that ensured we would not be able to slip back into our old way of life?
We all have a comfort zone; farming was Elisha’s. Yet he had the courage to burn his plowing equipment. Change is never easy, but Elisha wanted to follow God and experience all that God had planned for him. How about you? What is God calling you to, and what do you need to let go of to pursue all that God has planned for your life? Will you step out of your comfort zone and follow God into the unknown?