A Navy ship has a captain, there is a command structure and the ship runs under clear direction and authority. Leading by consensus is a terrible model and Elisha made it clear when he said, “Didn’t I tell you not to go?”, to the company of prophets (2 Kings 2:18).

Elisha asked for a double portion of Elijah’s spirit, and when the end of his days came he had performed double the miracles of his mentor. I have often wondered what the silence was like when the waters of the Jordan piled up and the two men of God walked on crunching gravel to the other side.

My father passed away this past January and my older brother, with his medical background, spent endless hours helping my Dad navigate those strange and difficult days.

I like to build things, albeit I’m not very good at it, but still I love hard work and seeing progress at the end of a day. One of my life goals is to build a small log cabin with a stone fireplace in the woods with my own hands, and then on cold winter days and nights go out and enjoy its cozy warmth.

As I write this, there is a weariness in my body and heart and I want to find rest. I am in a season where even my sleep is restless, and today’s passage reminds me that time alone with the Lord when we are weary is vital; it matters on an exponential scale.