Ever feel like you are just existing or feel like “Lord what am I supposed to be doing?” Or sometimes we can feel like we are not being as productive or effective as we should for the kingdom. Why do we feel this way at times? More important is it true?

Dealing with everyday life, career, marriage, children, etc. can take its toll on us from day to day. However, we must never allow the travails of everyday life to leave us not remembering or filling purpose that God has given us. It easy to get caught up with everyday life and not intentionally remember that God has put something inside of us. We all have been put here to fill a purpose but it is up to us to pick it up. It wont just jump in our hands, it wont just manifest itself if we don’t take action to shape it.

We must pick it up without hesitation whatever you have been called to or whatever has been put in your hand to fulfill.  In this passage, the sons of the prophet (Elisha) had went to cut wood to build a home in Jordan. As they went and were fulfilling purpose the ax head (they were using to cut wood) was lost in the water.

First point, where did you lose purpose where did you lose that thing that God had given you to do?  We can lose sight of purpose in the midst of trying to fulfill it. It sometimes may seem as if we cannot recover due to possibly our own sabotage, disobedience or even our own laziness. It is interesting that the purpose was not the ax but the tool to fulfill the purpose was lost. What has the Lord given you in your hand to help? What people or situations has God shown you that are there to help you? What friends are you surrounded with that are there to help you fulfill purpose?

Second, Elisha asked the man in the text, “Where fell it?” Talking about the ax. The passage says, “he showed him the place. And he cut down a stick and cast it in to the river and the iron came up.” Now I don’t know if you have been to Ripley’s believe it or not museum, but from my perspective this should be categorized in there. But seriously, Elisha was shown the place where purpose was lost and then he had the faith to pick it up again.  We must have the faith to pick purpose back up.  It is not enough to lose it and just say oh well. No the Lord always has a plan and wants us to use that which is around us to pick purpose back up. Say it to yourself right now, “Pick it up!”  Don’t allow a temporary setback to be the end of that which you are supposed to do. Don’t allow a hurt word, or the lose of a relationship, or the lose of a friend or our own insecurities to drop purpose and say all is lost. Trust your faith and get it back. Notice how Elisha used another stick to get the ax head back but his power was in his faith. The river was not going to be his hindrance to the purpose at hand. We must have the same tenacity and faith to do the same thing.  Pick it up whatever, wherever, whomever caused you to lose it do not stay there. Pick it up!

Third and final point, We must seize the opportunity when it comes again.  This is good news because when the ax head floated back to the top, Elisha says to the servant, “take it up and put it in your hand.”  The opportunity presented itself again. This is two fold, representing the second chance and the grace of a loving Father that does give us an opportunity to fulfill purpose again. That is something to just stop and praise God for. God allowing or giving us the “unmerited favor” to fulfill that which we lost in the first place.

Do not waste the time that God gives us, let us be about the Father’s business and do pick it up again. Pick up whatever you have put down, or that which you have lost -have enough faith to say I will pick it up again. Seize the opportunity so that it can be fulfilled for the purposes that HE has for us.

Be blessed.