Elisha inherited a double portion of the spirit of Elijah (II Kings 2:9-12), and became the acknowledged leader of the company of prophets in Israel and Judah (2:15). His ministry was never as spectacular as Elijah’s confrontation with the prophets of Baal; many of his recorded acts seem to have been quiet miracles for individuals, families, or small groups of people.

Thus he blessed a widow and her two children with a flask that continued to flow with oil until many many jars were filled, to pay off her debt and save her children from slavery (4:1-7). Again, he promised a son to the Shunammite woman, and prayed for his restoration when he had apparently died (4:8-37). In the midst of famine he restored a kettle of soup that contained poisoned gourds, and blessed twenty barley loaves to feed a hundred people (4:38-44).

With the healing of Naaman, indeed, the Syrian general was upset that the miracle was not more showy. “I thought that for me he would surely come out, and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, and would wave his hand over the spot, and cure the leprosy!” (5:11). Yet the unnamed heroes of this incident were the Israelite slave girl (5:2-3) who told Naaman’s wife that he needed to go see Elisha, and the servants of Naaman who advised him that if he had been given a hard quest to fulfill to get his healing, he would surely do it: so why not just obey the word of the prophet when it required nothing more than immersing himself in the Jordan River (5:13)?

We all like the big demonstrative expressions of God’s power: yet much of the work we are given is small, quiet, and behind the scenes. Feeding people who are hungry, praying for the sick, helping someone find a way to pay the bills, speaking words of blessing and encouragement that someone needs to hear: these are also part of the ministry of the kingdom, even though they are not as flashy as a spectacular revival with thousands of people.

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Teach us to serve you, O Lord, in the quiet steady ministries of compassion and care for people in need: making a difference for your kingdom by caring for the sick, speaking the word, feeding the hungry, blessing the children.

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