A prophetic act occurred just before Elisha died. The prophet asked the king of Israel to strike the ground, a prophetic pointer to how he would strike the enemy. He did that three times and stopped. That enraged Elisha who was expecting him to strike up to five or six times, because that would have meant a complete end to the threat which Syria posed. By stopping too soon, his victory was also cut short.

People give up too easily on their dreams. We know that pursuit is a proof of desire, but without adding persistence to pursuit there will be no fruit in sight.

Partly, we tried yesterday to explore why people fail. Sometimes it is due to inertia, the inability to take action. At some other time, it is wrong timing. Things fall in place beautifully only when they align with appropriate timing. Our text provides another ground for failure – lack of persistence. People give up too easily on their dreams. We know that pursuit is a proof of desire, but without adding persistence to pursuit there will be no fruit in sight. To stress the importance of persistence, Jesus told the parable of a widow who came to a judge. The judge was notorious for his disregard for God and man. Initially, he could not be bordered but the widow would not let things be just the same way. She came to the judge repeatedly until his resistance was broken. Those who want major progress in life must pursue their dreams without relenting.