Keeping Your Cutting Edge

By Jerelyn Pearson

 

What’s it like when you are at the top of your game? When you can say with confidence, “I’ve got this!” When you have a clear understanding that you are where God wants you to be, doing what he wants you to do. What’s that like?

 Let’s look at 2 Kings 6:1-7.

2 Kings 6:1-7
1 And the sons of the prophets said unto Elisha, Behold now, the place where we dwell with thee is too strait for us.
2 Let us go, we pray thee, unto Jordan, and take thence every man a beam, and let us make us a place there, where we may dwell. And he answered, Go ye.
3 And one said, Be content, I pray thee, and go with thy servants. And he answered, I will go.
4 So he went with them. And when they came to Jordan, they cut down wood.
5 But as one was felling a beam, the axe head fell into the water: and he cried, and said, Alas, master! for it was borrowed.
6 And the man of God said, Where fell it? And he shewed him the place. And he cut down a stick, and cast it in thither; and the iron did swim.
7 Therefore said he, Take it up to thee. And he put out his hand, and took it.

These sons of the prophets were followers and students of Elisha. They wanted to be near him, dwell with him, and learn from him. But a problem developed that was making it difficult to do these things.

2 Kings 6:1
And the sons of the prophets said unto Elisha, Behold now, the place where we dwell with thee is too strait for us.

As their numbers increased, the place where they lived became too crowded.  So, they made a request of Elisha.

2 Kings 6:2-4
2 Let us go, we pray thee, unto Jordan, and take thence every man a beam, and let us make us a place there, where we may dwell. And he answered, Go ye.
3 And one said, Be content, I pray thee, and go with thy servants. And he answered, I will go.
4 So he went with them. And when they came to Jordan, they cut down wood.

Although their main purpose was to be disciples of Elisha, they saw a need for more space. They took their need to Elisha and asked permission to move and build a better place to dwell. Elisha granted their request. Next one of them asked Elisha to go with them. He agreed. These followers were not lazy, but willing to labor. They didn’t ask selfishly. They didn’t desire luxurious dwellings of expensive materials, only a beam of wood for each of them. They were not wealthy, finding it necessary even to borrow tools from neighbors.

The prophet Elisha represented God to the people. We too can bring our plans to God in the name of Jesus and ask for permission. And when he grants our request, he doesn’t just send us off on our own.  He goes with us.

We left the sons of the prophets cutting down wood.

2 Kings 6:5
But as one was felling a beam, the axe head fell into the water: and he cried, and said, Alas, master! for it was borrowed.

When that axe head fell into the water, that son of the prophet lost his cutting edge. He was no longer at the top of his game. He saw no way to get the axe head back. He needed it to complete his work, and he was distressed to lose something he had borrowed. He immediately turned to Elisha, who was nearby, because he had come with them.

There are times when we lose our cutting edge. We lose our heart for the work. We are not at the top of our game. Where is the first place we turn? It is interesting to note that when the son of the prophet lost his cutting edge, he wasn’t doing anything wrong. He was probably in mid-swing cutting a beam. Although he was distraught, he didn’t waste any time saying bad words, whining about it, thinking it wasn’t fair, asking “Why me?” He didn’t even plan to consider it an accident and waive his responsibility for returning the axe. He cried and said, “Alas, master! For it was borrowed.” How often is our Master the first one we turn to when we lose our cutting edge? And how often are we thinking about someone else and how it might affect them?

There are many ways we can lose our cutting edge. Is there an area in your life (our lives) where we are not as sharp as we would like to be? How about in prayer? In Bible study? In relationships with others? (Co-workers? Friends? Family members?) What about prioritizing our time? Our finances?

Sometimes we lose our cutting edge through distraction, or our own neglect. It can happen gradually, so that we hardly notice it at first. Sometimes as in this case, it may happen abruptly through no fault of our own. The most important question is not Why we lose our cutting edge, but Where do we turn when we realize it? Whether or not we are at fault when we lose our cutting edge, our God is more than able to resurrect our heavy heart and restore it for his purpose just like he caused the axe to swim.

We can be encouraged by several verses of scripture to help us keep our cutting edge.

We can whet the edge by seeking wisdom.

Ecclesiastes 10:10
If the iron be blunt, and he do not whet the edge, then must he put to more strength: but wisdom is profitable to direct.

We can sharpen each other.

Proverbs 27:17
Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.

Let’s look at Ephesians 6:17 followed by Hebrews 4:12.

Ephesians 6:17
And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:

Hebrews 4:12
For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

We can take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, “a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”

When the son of the prophet cried, “Alas Master, for it was borrowed,” how did Elisha respond?

2 Kings 6:6-7
6 And the man of God said, Where fell it? And he shewed him the place. And he cut down a stick, and cast it in thither; and the iron did swim.
7 Therefore said he, Take it up to thee. And he put out his hand, and took it.

As the representative of God and by the power of God, Elisha performed a miracle. The God of creation is not tied to the laws of nature. This axe head floated. Elisha told the son of the prophet to take it up. He obeyed, put out his hand, and took it. His cutting edge was restored! He was once again at the top of his game!

This is the Elisha who received the double portion of Spirit that was granted to Elijah; the Elisha who assured Jehoshaphat that the Lord would deliver the Moabites into his hand and performed miracles to cause it to happen; who increased the Widow’s oil to meet her need; who restored life to the Shunammite’s son; who purified the deadly stew, who healed Naaman of leprosy. This Elisha was moved with compassion at the plight of this disciple who had a broken, borrowed axe. Our God, who made the heavens and the earth and all that is in them, is moved with compassion when the least of his children loses his cutting edge. And when he restores it, all we have to do is put out our hands and take it.  And each of us can say with confidence, “I’ve got this!”

 

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Presented in Baton Rouge on August 5, 2018