What can I do for you

“And it came to pass, when they were gone over, that Elijah said unto Elisha, Ask what I shall do for thee, before I be taken away from thee. And Elisha said, I pray thee, let a double portion of thy spirit be upon me.” II Kings 2:9

Before the prophet Elijah was taken up away into the sky in a chariot of fire, the prophet Elisha was following him everywhere he went. Elijah made several attempts to leave him among the other prophets at cities of Gilgal, Bethel, Jericho and eventually by the Jordan River, but he refused to cease from following after Elijah. When the other prophets in the cities attempted to dissuade him from following behind Elijah, and asking Elisha if he knew Elijah would be taken away, he would respond<

“Yes, I know it; keep quiet.”[II Kings 2:5]

Seeing that Elisha persisted and refused to settle prompted Elijah to ask eventually ask

“what I shall do for thee”.

Also at Jericho but several thousand years later was the incident where there was a blind man who upon hearing that Jesus in Nazareth was passing he cried out

“Jesus, thou son of David, have mercy on me.”[Luke 18:38].

And when those around him told him to be quiet he cried out even more

“Son of David, have mercy on me.”

Jesus was about his business but upon seeing the blind man’s persistence prompted Jesus to stop and asked him:

“What wilt thou that I shall do unto thee?”

In both cases it was their persistence that eventually led to them having their concern addressed and desire being granted.

About being persistent Jesus advises that we should

“ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.”[Matthew 7:7-8]