This might sound like a funny thing to say, and I'm pretty sure I've said it before, but I love sick kids! Well, as long as it's a simple virus, that is....we have a cold running through our house and my poor little toddler has been taken down by it....but the side benefits are a calm, relaxed house with lots of snuggling, naps, quiet.....! Sometimes I think it is God's way of giving a mom a little holiday, a break of sorts from the regular busy-ness! The only problem is I got sick in the process, too, and no one is holding me, reading me books or doing my laundry.....so I take it all back. Sick kids sometimes make for sick moms, so maybe I don't like the sickness after all!
Meanwhile, Elisha is now in Chapter 6 of 2 Kings. The king of Syria cannot figure out how his plans keep getting sabotaged. He figures there has to be spy in the ranks, but his servants said, "None my lord, O king; but Elisha, the prophet who is in Israel, tells the king of Israel the words that you speak in your bedroom." That would be frustrating! So, in retaliation, he sent an army off to find Elisha "so that I may send and seize him....So he sent there horses and chariots and a great army, and they came by night and surrounded the city."
"When the servant of the man of God rose early in the morning and went out, behold, an army with horses and chariots was all around the city." (6:15) These verses struck me because of the phrases "came by night" and "early in the morning". I'm quite convinced Satan starts his work before I'm even awake, sometimes while I'm even sleeping. A thought, a worry, a concern will pop into my head in the middle of the night, in my subconsciousness. I'll dwell on it and have a fitful sleep. By morning, it's a full blown problem. There have been times, when I haven't been aware of Satan's schemes, that I have worked myself up into a worried frenzy about something before my husband is even awake. Then when he comes down, barely eyes opened, that I unload on him all my concerns about the day, which usually are things I've created in my own mind and aren't really worth getting so upset over. This was kind of what happened to Elisha's servant. He woke early in the morning and only saw how bad his day was going to go - completely surrounded by horses and chariots all around the city! But who could blame him?! I'd be a little concerned, too! Yet, he didn't have spiritual eyes, eyes that could see that he, in fact, did not need to waste a single moment in worry. But he was human and said, "Alas, my master! What shall we do?" I've been just like that with my husband before, "Alas, my husband! What shall we do?" Ok, I don't say, "Alas", but I do love that word!
Elisha responds, "Do not be afraid, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them." Ever since I wrote about "No fear, no panic, no dread", my life has been changed. I now see how certain triggers that used to put me into fear, panic or dread are no longer able to accomplish those feelings in me. I've learned I MUST take God at His word. If He says, "Do not be afraid" then I better not be afraid. Elisha prayed for his servant, "O Lord, please open his eyes that he may see." What did he need to see? "So the Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw, and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha." (6:17) What a great reminder that things are not always as they appear. Sometimes we find ourselves in a situation that seems hopeless, and it appears that God is not working. We don't have an Elisha in our lives that prays our eyes will be opened, yet I believe passages like this one are included in Scripture as a way of reminding us that there is a spiritual element to our life's circumstances. We think we are fighting an army on our own, but in reality, God is fighting for us, with His army full of "horses and chariots". I admit, it would be kind of nice to see that the way the young servant did, but we don't seem to get that opportunity. Can we trust God when it seems an army is against us? Can we pray for ourselves and for others that our eyes would be opened to what is really going on? Can we choose to not be afraid? We have to be this way, otherwise we will drown in fear and hopelessness.
So, I've learned if a problem pops into my head at night, I leave it, I don't worry about it. I know it will only ruin my sleep. If it is a true problem, then I can deal with it the next morning. I've also learned to carefully discuss issues with my husband the second he wakes up. Who needs stress first thing in the morning from a wife who isn't trusting God? I've learned that when I see an army coming at me "early in the morning" that I must have spiritual eyes. Elisha isn't here to pray for me. I must choose to pray for myself that God would show me His army is surrounding me. I need that today. I need to see that everyday. Open our eyes.
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