In the Old Testament, an army surrounded the city where the prophet Elisha was staying. This army had come to capture him. As Elisha’s assistant looked out at the huge army, he started to panic.
“My master!” he exclaimed, “what shall we do?” (2 Kings 6:15, NKJV).
Elisha simply said, “Do not fear. Those who are with us are more than those who are with them” (2 Kings 6:16, NKJV).
As the young man looked around him, he had no idea what Elisha meant. How were there more with them than the entire army approaching?
Elisha prayed, “Lord, I pray, open his eyes that he may see.” Elisha’s prayer was answered. The young man got a glimpse of what the prophet had been able to see all along. “The mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire” (2 Kings 6:17, NKJV).
We rarely see or understand what is going on behind the scenes in our eyes. And to make matters worse, we tilt toward evil forces being in more control than anything good. When we start thinking of spiritual beings behind the scenes, we are usually in the midst of fear provoking events.
And the fear is what we take with us into the unknown. Elisha’s servant could only see the darkness. But Elisha could not but see the servants of God surrounding him.
It’s a strange thing to me how quickly we who have faith in God can be turned so quickly to the dark side and see only ruin and peril ahead. What makes the difference between these two men? Why are we more like the one and not the other?
At some point in my life, I have the choice to turn everything in my life and in my world over to God for safekeeping. I know of nothing more simple than that, and yet it seems so unlikely for so many to believe. I only fear one thing, the day when I stop believing that God is in control of His universe and this very special planet and its people.
With all the suffering going on in the world, it would be tempting to give up on God and suggest that He is not really doing His job. I can’t do that. I can only lean in to trust Him more. I can see that there is something more going on behind the scenes and He will not forget or forsake me and mine, either in sunshine or storm.