READING: 2 Kings 6-8
It surely looked like the prophet and his servant were in trouble. In fact, all the servant could see were the enemy’s forces surrounding the city. “Oh no, my lord! What shall we do?” (2 Kings 6:15) were logical words — especially if you could not see what God was doing at the same time.
The prophet Elisha knew better, though. He recognized that God’s forces far outnumbered the enemy, so he prayed for God to open the eyes of his servant. Here’s what he then saw: “the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha” (2 Kings 6:17). The armies of God stood ready to protect the prophet. Sometime later, the Arameans fled their own camp after they, too, heard “the sound of chariots and horses and a great army” (2 Kings 7:6) — the unseen army of God’s forces again making their presence known.
At first, the servant of Elisha could see only the enemy’s forces surrounding the city. The circumstances were clear. The evidence was obvious. The facts were undeniable. The future looked dim. Everything the servant could see said that serious trouble and impending defeat awaited. Hope was gone. Were it not for Elisha’s eyes of faith, the servant would have given up.
Most of us, too, have a tendency to see only our circumstances, especially when those circumstances are scary or threatening. That’s when we, too, need someone who walks by faith to challenge us to see what we can’t see.
Today, maybe your circumstances are tough. All you see is the war, and you surely can’t see the victory. If that’s the case, I pray that this devotion gives you hope. Through the lenses of this story in 2 Kings, be sure to see that God’s forces outnumber any enemies you face today.
ACTION STEPS:
- Read the story of 2 Kings 6 again, noting the differences in the responses of the servant and Elisha. A response of faith is quite different from a response of fear.
- Evaluate your own typical patterns. When life is difficult for you, do you tend to respond with faith or fear? Be honest with yourself.
- Read Hebrews 11, focusing on the role of faith — defined as “seeing what we cannot see" — in the lives of biblical heroes.
PRAYER: “Father, make me a person of faith. Teach me that your forces outnumber anything I face.”
TOMORROW’S READING: 2 Kings 9-11