Picking Up the Mantle

The Bible teaches about the importance of a mantle. What’s a mantle? When the prophet Elijah’s time on earth was done, he passed his prophetic responsibility to his assistant Elisha. This passing of the torch was symbolized by a “mantle” or a robe. As we say in the Church, it was an outward and visible sign of a spiritual change.

Elijah was gone. But the work was not finished. As Elisha stood there holding this mantle, he realized that it was up to him to carry forward the important task of pointing the people of Israel back to the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

We know from the rest of Elisha’s story that he accepted this role and that God was faithful along the way.

What mantle has been passed to you?

I have the honor this week of assisting in a funeral for a dear friend of mine. Buster attended one of my Bible studies for several years. Every week, during the prayer time, he would pray for the men and women in our armed services. Buster had retired after 23 years in the U.S. Army. He was a faithful prayer warrior. I noticed that about him.

Since I learned of his passing, I have been impressed to pray more regularly for the men and women in our armed services. I think it’s a mantle. I watched a man faithfully pray this way, and I want to make sure that this prayer stays alive.

My point is that God used Buster to teach me something. My life is better knowing Buster. My prayer life is better. My faith is better. And just because my friend is no longer on this side of eternity’s veil, that doesn’t mean that the lesson has ended. 

So what mantle has been passed to you? What torch has God given you to carry after another saint ran a faithful race and handed it to you? I think it’s good to ponder these things, to pray about them. Because these mantles matter.

They matter because they connect us to God’s unending work that He was doing before we got here, and that He’ll continue to do after our time.

So today I stopped and prayed for the men and women of our armed services. Buster was faithful in this task. But his watch is over, and it’s my turn to stand on that wall.

Pastor Jon