“When the man touched the bones of Elisha he revived and stood up on
his feet.” — 2 Kings 13:21
Elisha died and was buried. His ministry was over—or so it seemed. Years later, a band of Israelites was burying a man when they were interrupted by raiders. In haste, they tossed the man’s body into Elisha’s tomb. What happened next defies explanation: *”When the man touched the bones of Elisha he revived and stood up on his feet”* (2 Kings 13:21).
Even in death, Elisha’s life bore fruit.
This moment is more than a miracle. It’s a picture of legacy. Elisha’s body was buried, but the Spirit of God had not stopped working through his influence. His life—yielded to God—left behind something so saturated with God’s power that even his remains became a vessel of resurrection.
What kind of life must a person live for God to use their bones? Elisha had lived faithfully. He followed Elijah with humility, walked in the power of the Spirit, and performed more miracles than any prophet before him. But perhaps the most striking feature of his ministry was not the number of wonders—it was his unwavering availability to God. He was not a celebrity prophet. He served quietly, steadily, consistently—helping widows, healing the sick, raising the dead, feeding the hungry, and guiding kings.
Elisha reminds us that the most fruitful lives are not necessarily the most visible, but the most available.
And when God took him, his influence didn’t stop.
This is what it means to finish well: not just to live faithfully to the end, but to leave behind the kind of testimony that still gives life to others. A legacy that doesn’t point to self, but to the power and faithfulness of God.
You may never see all the fruit of your faithfulness. Some of it may only sprout after you’re gone. But if your life is rooted in obedience and soaked in God’s Spirit, then even in your absence, God will keep using what you left behind.
You may not raise the dead with your bones. But you can leave behind words, prayers, memories, encouragement, faith, and truth that awaken life in others long after you’re gone.
Elisha’s bones remind us: a life laid down for God never ceases to bear fruit.
Further Reading
2 Kings 13:21 — “When the man touched the bones of Elisha he revived and stood up on his feet.”
Hebrews 11:4 — “Through faith, though he is dead, he still speaks.”
John 12:24 — “Unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.”
Reflection Questions
1. What legacy are you leaving for those who come after you?
2. How can you make your life more available to God in this season?
3. What would it mean to live in such a way that God uses you—even after you\’re gone?
Suggested Prayer\
Lord, I want my life to bear fruit that outlives me. Help me to walk in daily obedience and deep dependence, so that even when I’m gone, others might still be revived through the testimony I leave behind.
This devotional is excerpted from Full of Sap and Very Green by D.C. Robertsson.
