And he went up, and lay upon the child, and put his mouth upon his mouth, and his eyes upon his eyes, and his hands upon his hands: and stretched himself upon the child; and the flesh of the child waxed warm. (2 Kings 4:34)
The reason is not given for the means employed by Elisha in bringing the child back to life. He may have been divinely instructed by the Lord to employ this means, or he may have imitated the act of Elijah (1 Kings 17:21). Prayer does not exclude the use of other means. The body of the prophet may actually have communicated warmth to the body of the dead child, but it was not this that restored the child to life. It was through Christ, who first gave life, that the lad was brought back from the dead. This was a miracle, an act that could be performed only by God. As the Lord restored this dead child to life again, even so, at the second advent, will He raise all His faithful children who now sleep in their graves (Isa. 26:19; John 5:28, 29; 1 Cor. 15:52; 1 Thess. 4:16; Rev. 1:18).