Finding Lost Things

And the sons of the prophets said to Elisha, “See now, the place where we dwell with you is too small for us. Please, let us go to the Jordan, and let every man take a beam from there, and let us make there a place where we may dwell.”

So he answered, “Go.”

Then one said, “Please consent to go with your servants.”

And he answered, “I will go.” So he went with them. And when they came to the Jordan, they cut down trees. But as one was cutting down a tree, the iron ax head fell into the water; and he cried out and said, “Alas, master! For it was borrowed.”

So the man of God said, “Where did it fall?” And he showed him the place. So he cut off a stick, and threw it in there; and he made the iron float. Therefore he said, “Pick it up for yourself.” So he reached out his hand and took it (2 Kings 6:1-7).

In this story, it was time to enlarge the place where God and His prophets were meeting. It was time to move forward, to establish a new place for the people of God. They had the blessing of God and the comfort of Elisha going with them. But things turned south quickly. While enlarging the meeting place, their ax head was lost. To make matters worse, the ax didn’t belong to the one man—they were borrowing it. What we gather in this story is 1) the ax was very important to the loaner, and 2) that the prophets doing the building couldn’t replace it. This means they would be indebted due to the loss.

To answer the heart cry of the man that lost the ax head, Elisha went to where it was lost. The miracle to bring the ax to the surface defied gravity and the logic of natural science, but the lost thing was brought to light.  

When we are move forward with God, there will be opposition. At times, things get lost in the movement, but they are not gone forever. If we reveal what we lost to Jesus, He will help us find it again. He does so by taking us to the places in our lives where we have lost things, and then He restores them, often contrary to natural logic. Just as the iron ax head floated; God’s word can make things come back into our lives that no one else could restore. God’s word is the real solution to the issues we face.