Welcome to today's encouragement from Our Daily Bread. I'm Kirsten Holmberg, and I called our reading

being finishers. Barbara passed away before she could finish a sweater she was knitting for her great-grandson,

Ethan.

The sweater was entrusted to the hands of another avid knitter to be completed, thanks to an organization

that connects volunteer crafters, finishers, with those whose loved ones have departed this life before finishing their projects.

The finishers lovingly invest their time and skill to bring closure to a task that provides comfort

to those who are grieving. God appointed a finisher for Elijah's work, too.

The prophet was lonely and discouraged at how the Israelites were rejecting God's covenant

and killing prophets. In response, God instructed Elijah to anoint Elisha to succeed him as prophet. This ensured that the labor of

proclaiming God's truth would continue long past Elijah's death. To show Elisha that God had called

him to succeed Elijah as God's prophet, Elijah threw his cloak around Elisha.

Since a prophet's cloak was used to indicate one's authority as God's chosen spokesman,

this act made Elisha's prophetic call clear. As believers in Jesus, we've been called to share

God's love with others and declare his praises.

Though the task may outlive us too, we can be assured that he'll sustain the work

and will continue to call other finishers to the sacred work of making him known.

Our scripture reading that I've selected for today is from 1st Kings chapter 19,

verses 14 through 21.

He replied,

I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected

your covenant, torn down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only

one left, and now they are trying to kill me too. The Lord said to him, Go back the way you came, and go to the desert of Damascus.

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