Scripture:

“When the king of Aram was at war with Israel, he would confer with his officers and say, ‘We will mobilize our forces at such and such a place.’

But immediately Elisha, the man of God, would warn the king of Israel, ‘Do not go near that place, for the Arameans are planning to mobilize their troops there.’ So the king of Israel would send word to the place indicated by the man of God. Time and again Elisha warned the king, so that he would be on the alert there. The king of Aram became very upset over this. He called his officers together and demanded, ‘Which of you is the traitor? Who has been informing the king of Israel of my plans?’

 

‘It’s not us, my lord the king,’ one of the officers replied. ‘Elisha, the prophet in Israel, tells the king of Israel even the words you speak in the privacy of your bedroom!’

 

‘Go and find out where he is,’ the king commanded, ‘so I can send troops to seize him.’

 

And the report came back: ‘Elisha is at Dothan.’ So one night the king of Aram sent a great army with many chariots and horses to surround the city. When the servant of the man of God got up early the next morning and went outside, there were troops, horses, and chariots everywhere. ‘Oh, sir, what will we do now?’ the young man cried to Elisha.

 

‘Don’t be afraid!’ Elisha told him. ‘For there are more on our side than on theirs!’ Then Elisha prayed, ‘O Lord, open his eyes and let him see!’ The Lord opened the young man’s eyes, and when he looked up, he saw that the hillside around Elisha was filled with horses and chariots of fire. As the Aramean army advanced toward him, Elisha prayed, ‘O Lord, please make them blind.’ So the Lord struck them with blindness as Elisha had asked.” 2 Kings 6: (NLT)

 

Perspective:

The king of Aram specifically sent troops to capture Elisha. Every time he would plot an attack against Israel, God would speak to Elisha, and Elisha communicated God’s word to the king of Israel. The king of Aram was so frustrated by this prophet who was thwarting all of this plans, so he surrounded Elisha with his army. Elisha’s servant was the first to see the army with his eyes, but he wasn’t the first to see the situation. When Elisha saw all of the horses and chariots from Aram, his attention was focused on something that his servant couldn’t see. While Elisha had every right to be afraid and hide, he had eyes to see more than what could be seen on the surface. Elisha asked God to open the eyes of his servant so that he might see. To his surprise, the army of Aram was small in comparison to God’s army that stood with Elisha. Elisha and his servant were facing the same situation but seeing two different things. Elisha was able to see what God was doing behind the scenes even though everything appeared to be over. And when the army moved forward, God heard Elisha’s prayer and provided deliverance. Elisha’s servant thought they were all alone, and God had left them. They would have to face the army on their own. Yet, what he didn’t initially see was that God’s presence was even greater in the midst of difficulty, and God was about to deliver them. Elisha’s servant would soon realize that God was right there fighting for them all along.

 

We continually face situations in our life where we have the opportunity to look at life from Elisha’s perspective or his servant’s perspective. When we allow fear to consume our hearts like Elisha’s servant, it is very difficult to see God’s presence in our situations. It can feel as if it is completely up to us, and God has left us on our own. His servant had no other solutions to help save them. When we feel this way, sometimes it has nothing to do with our circumstances and everything to do with our perspective. When lose sight of what God is doing, we forget that God is going before us. However, when we ask God to open our eyes to what He is doing, we are able to see His favor and power going before us. We are able to see His very presence surrounding our lives. You may be in a situation that feels very hopeless, and you are surrounded on every side. Ask God to open your eyes to see how He is working, and trust Him to do what you can’t do.

 

Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

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About Hona Amer

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