Where Did You Lose It?

II kings 6:1: 1And the sons of the prophets said to Elisha, "See now, the place where we dwell with you is too small for us. 2"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." 3Then one said, "Please consent to go with your servants." And he answered, "I will go." 4So he went with them. And when they came to the Jordan, they cut down trees. 5But 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." 6So 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. 7Therefore he said, "Pick it up for yourself." So he reached out his hand and took it.

An ax was something that not everyone had in these ancient times. They were very valuable. The ax head came off of the handle for probably one of two reasons. Either the head was not on properly or there was a misswhack. You do know what a misswhack is. It is when you miss 'the mark.' Have you ever just 'missed it'? When the ax head hits a tree at the wrong angle, it causes unnecessary pressure on the way that it is fitted to the handle therefore causing it to loosen. When you 'miss it,' problems are always the result. One example of 'missing it' would be to say the wrong thing at the wrong time.

When the ax head fell into the water, the student had to go to the man of God and ask for help. He knew that if he didn't get help that he would have to replace the ax head. This dilemma was going to cause loss to his ministry if he couldn't solve it. He might have to work for months to earn the money to replace the ax head. This incident could also affect the student's reputation as being careless.

The student took his problem to the man of God. He didn't try to hide the fact that he had a problem. He also realized that the problem was too big to handle alone. He needed help and was not ashamed to ask for it. Run to God when you get in trouble. He didn't ask any of his fellow workers for help or go from person to person telling them all of the reasons why he felt that he was in this predicament and trying to get them to help him figure out a solution. It is always best to seek God for yourself in prayer, fasting and reading of the Word.

There is always the possibility that the ax head slowly became dislodged from the handle a little at a time. You might think that if the wood you are trying to cut is soft, it would contribute to his problem. You also might think that fatigue would affect your swing. Both of the previous reasons would cause the same result as an ax head that needed sharpening. An ax head can gradually loose its edge or sharpness without your being aware of the problem. It is more difficult to detect the loss of something when the process is gradual.

Do you remember when you wanted to stay up all night and talk about the vision that the Lord gave you to accomplish? You would get up early and be so enthusiastic to make some progress towards the goals the Lord had deposited in your heart. Are you still excited about everything the Lord has given you to do or have you lost your edge? You might think that the problem is with the people around you that seem like obstacles or hard circumstances, when in fact you just need to sharpen your edge. Increase your prayer, fasting and reading of the Word. Renew your commitment to complete your assignment. The Lord is faithful and waiting on you to sharpen the ax head so that it will never get away from you again.