Through God, Elisha saved a widow from being forced to sell her children as slaves to satisfy her deceased husband’s creditors. Elisha accomplished this by increasing the amount of lamp oil that the woman owned so much that she was able to sell the oil, pay her husband’s debts, and live off of the proceeds.

Another miraculous event occurred when Elisha promised a kind but barren woman that she would have a son. The woman did have a son. A few years later, when the son became ill and died, Elisha prayed to God in distress, and the boy was brought back to life.

On another occasion, God gave Elisha the power to cure a commander of the army, Naaman, of leprosy. Elisha did not meet Naaman, but sent a messenger, saying, “Go and wash yourself seven times in the Jordan River. Then your skin will be restored, and you will be healed of leprosy.” Naaman felt slighted.“I expected him to wave his hand over the leprosy and call on the name of the LORD his God and heal me! Aren’t the Abana River and Pharpar River of Damascus, better than all the rivers of Israel put together? Why shouldn’t I wash in them and be healed?” Naaman’s servants counseled him, “Sir, if the prophet had told you to do some great thing, wouldn’t you have done it? So you should certainly obey him when he says simply to go and wash and be cured!” So Naaman went and did as Elisha instructed and he was cured of the leprosy. (NLT, II Kings 5:10–13) Elisha’s actions foreshadow those of Jesus many years later.