12 Elisha saw this and cried out, “My father! My father! The chariots and horsemen of Israel!” 2 Kings 2:12
Elisha called Elijah his ‘Father’, denoting close personal relationship. He was called from the plough to ‘pour water on the hands of Elijah’. 2 Kings 3:11
Sometimes God connects us to people who profoundly shape our lives. Today we still talk about the ‘Desert Fathers’ in Egypt, those who held onto and imparted the truth and ways of the Kingdom.
It is a very special gift or grace of God to have a Spiritual Father/Mother in our lives.
I was so blessed in my own life with two distinct Spiritual Fathers.
In my early days, I picked up a man, called Eddie Moir, hitch hiking by the motorway. I spent some years visiting his home, several times a week, being schooled in the prophetic, tongues and interpretation.
Later, I met another man, Kjell Sjoberg from Stockholm, Sweden. He and his wife Lena, had been missionaries for 11 years in Pakistan. He had a very powerful Prophetic Prayer Ministry. He led teams of intercessors on Kingdom assignments to many nations. Some of the most exciting days of my life were during these trips.
One ministry was local in nature and the other global. Don’t just think that where you start is where you’ll finish. God is infinitely creative in His plans.
A Spiritual Father is one who gives of his very life to us. It’s not just the intellectual exercises of the classroom but something much deeper and more lasting.
There is much blessing in this type of relationship for a son and indeed the Father.
Paul said Timothy and Titus were his sons in the faith.
Does God want to link you to a Spiritual Father or Mother today? Maybe He’s calling you to be a parent to a younger brother or sister? This is a one on one relationship, not to the many. Depth is the goal, not breadth.
Blessings from Ireland, the ancient land of ‘Saints and Scholars’.