I remember years ago when I was a child, looking at some special pictures through some colored glasses. The pictures were special in that if you looked at them without the glasses, you would see one thing, say for example, an open field with a few trees. But when you put on the special colored glasses, you would see more, like maybe some horses and flowers in the field. Maybe the picture was of a large lake, but with the glasses you would see a boat on the lake and some white, puffy clouds. The glasses enabled you to see things that didn’t seem like they were there before. They were there, only hidden from “regular sight”. In our Scripture today we will see how the prophet Elisha prayed for his servant, that the Lord would let him see what was really there. Let’s look into our Scripture.
The prophet Elisha was the successor of the great prophet Elijah. He succeeded Elijah when that prophet was taken bodily up into heaven. Like Elijah, the prophet Elisha’s main field of ministry was the northern kingdom of Israel. As our Scripture opens, we read that the kingdom of Syria, which was north of Israel, was at war with Israel. However, the king was quite disturbed, because it seemed that whenever his generals came up with various war plans and tactics, somehow the king of Israel found out about them, and was able to successfully maneuver his armies to avoid defeat. The king of Syria believed that he had some traitors on his staff and within the army generals, and that there were Israelite spies in his palace (vs. 8-11). One of the king’s servants told him, though, that it wasn’t a spy or a traitor, but that somehow Israel’s great prophet Elisha knew all of his plans, and was able to tell the king of Israel. So the Syrian king demanded that Elisha be captured and brought to him (vs. 12-13).
When the Syrian army found that Elisha and his servant were in the city of Dothan, the army went and surrounded the city. Elisha would not be able to escape, and they could bring him bound to the Syrian king. Elisha’s servant saw that the armies of Syria had surrounded the city, and that there was no way to possibly escape. They were doomed, and he was understandably afraid. Even after having been with the prophet for a long time, he still had moments of weak faith. That is when Elisha prayed for him, and the Lord opened his eyes to see that He had provided an army of heavenly angels, bigger and more powerful than the Syrians (vs. 14-17).
That is a nice Biblical account, but how does that relate to us today? Do you ever feel like you are in a hopeless situation, surrounded by enemies, either literal or figurative? We fear enemy forces, just like the Israelites saw. They saw literal armies. We might have that, but the enemy may be hunger, financial, sickness, debt, death. God provides protection and hope for us. Jesus will never leave nor forsake us (Hebrews 13:5). He is always near, even when our circumstances make it difficult to see the help that is available to us.
We are in a spiritual battle in this world. Satan and his hosts use whatever they can to bring down believers and followers of the Lord Jesus, including using unbelievers, or things like financial hardships, sickness, etc. However, we also have the unseen armies of the Lord on our side. We don’t see them surrounding us, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t there. Situations that seem hopeless are not always the way we perceive them to be. When we feel overwhelmed and outnumbered, we need to remember that God is by our side. When we focus on our troubles, we become alarmed. But when we focus on God and what He has provided for us, the picture changes and we find peace.
Elisha didn’t pray for his servant to stop seeing the enemy, he prayed for him to start seeing the goodness and provision of God. Trusting God means looking beyond what we can see, to what He sees. God is surrounding us with His care, protection, and provision.
Just like Elisha’s servant, we need to stop walking in spiritual blindness. Don’t only look at our troubles. When our eyes are opened, we will see that Jesus has already won the victory, and that He rules in heaven. If God is on our side, who can stand against us? (Romans 8:31). Faith reveals that God is doing more for His people than we can ever realize through sight alone.
The next time you feel surrounded by trouble, by a situation that seems hopeless in your own power, open God’s Word and see what He has promised you. In a manner of speaking, put on your spiritual glasses and see the army He has provided for you, and trust Jesus to come to your aid.
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