Lord, Open Our Eyes!
2 Kings 6:8-23 (The Message)
One time when the king of Aram was at war with Israel, after consulting with his officers, he said, “At such and such a place I want an ambush set.”
The Holy Man sent a message to the king of Israel: “Watch out when you’re passing this place, because Aram has set an ambush there.”
So the king of Israel sent word concerning the place of which the Holy Man had warned him.
This kind of thing happened all the time.
The king of Aram was furious over all this. He called his officers together and said, “Tell me, who is leaking information to the king of Israel? Who is the spy in our ranks?”
But one of his men said, “No, my master, dear king. It’s not any of us. It’s Elisha the prophet in Israel. He tells the king of Israel everything you say, even what you whisper in your bedroom.”
The king said, “Go and find out where he is. I’ll send someone and capture him.”
The report came back, “He’s in Dothan.”
Then he dispatched horses and chariots, an impressive fighting force. They came by night and surrounded the city.
Early in the morning a servant of the Holy Man got up and went out. Surprise! Horses and chariots surrounding the city! The young man exclaimed, “Oh, master! What shall we do?”
He said, “Don’t worry about it—there are more on our side than on their side.”
Then Elisha prayed, “O GOD, open his eyes and let him see.”
The eyes of the young man were opened and he saw. A wonder! The whole mountainside full of horses and chariots of fire surrounding Elisha!
When the Arameans attacked, Elisha prayed to GOD, “Strike these people blind!” And GOD struck them blind, just as Elisha said.
Then Elisha called out to them, “Not that way! Not this city! Follow me and I’ll lead you to the man you’re looking for.” And he led them into Samaria.
As they entered the city, Elisha prayed, “O GOD, open their eyes so they can see where they are.” GOD opened their eyes. They looked around—they were trapped in Samaria!
When the king of Israel saw them, he said to Elisha, “Father, shall I massacre the lot?”
“Not on your life!” said Elisha. “You didn’t lift a hand to capture them, and now you’re going to kill them? No sir, make a feast for them and send them back to their master.”
So he prepared a huge feast for them. After they ate and drank their fill he dismissed them. Then they returned home to their master. The raiding bands of Aram didn’t bother Israel anymore.
Reflection
Is your faith strong enough to trust the unseen? Have you ever noticed that life has a way of testing our faith? We can easily get overwhelmed with various scenarios that can make us fearful of what might happen. Just like Elisha’s comrade in today’s scripture, we can panic and say, “Oh Master! What shall we do?” I love what Elisha says back to him, “Don’t worry about it— there are more on our side than on their side.” There was an unseen army ready to do battle to help Elisha defeat his enemies. Are your spiritual eyes always open to see what may be hidden from your human perspective? We can reach for worry instead of trusting that God has things under control in His perfect plan for our lives.
We have our part to do in this life as we are obedient to God’s calling on our lives. Yet, we need God to open our eyes to see that no matter how successful we may be on our own, we still need to trust that our plans are in line with His will for our lives. We have to do our best and trust God to do the rest. We all need God to open our eyes to His true character. Our Lord is:
•Ever Present
•In control
•Our Provider
•Our Defender
•Loyal
•Forgiving
•Faithful
•Loving
Action Steps
Do you feel like your spiritual eyes are open or closed? Is there something in your life that is preventing you from trusting in what is unseen? As you pray the prayer below, be mindful of what may be blinding you to the greatness of God. Talk with someone about this. There are always people at The Tree who can help you.
Prayer
Lord, open my eyes so I focus on You, and who You truly are. Help me to remember that there are unseen spiritual forces around me, so I can trust that You are with me. Help me to remember Your true character, so I will not panic when I feel surrounded by fear or uncertainty. Help me keep my faith and trust in You. Amen.
One time when the king of Aram was at war with Israel, after consulting with his officers, he said, “At such and such a place I want an ambush set.”
The Holy Man sent a message to the king of Israel: “Watch out when you’re passing this place, because Aram has set an ambush there.”
So the king of Israel sent word concerning the place of which the Holy Man had warned him.
This kind of thing happened all the time.
The king of Aram was furious over all this. He called his officers together and said, “Tell me, who is leaking information to the king of Israel? Who is the spy in our ranks?”
But one of his men said, “No, my master, dear king. It’s not any of us. It’s Elisha the prophet in Israel. He tells the king of Israel everything you say, even what you whisper in your bedroom.”
The king said, “Go and find out where he is. I’ll send someone and capture him.”
The report came back, “He’s in Dothan.”
Then he dispatched horses and chariots, an impressive fighting force. They came by night and surrounded the city.
Early in the morning a servant of the Holy Man got up and went out. Surprise! Horses and chariots surrounding the city! The young man exclaimed, “Oh, master! What shall we do?”
He said, “Don’t worry about it—there are more on our side than on their side.”
Then Elisha prayed, “O GOD, open his eyes and let him see.”
The eyes of the young man were opened and he saw. A wonder! The whole mountainside full of horses and chariots of fire surrounding Elisha!
When the Arameans attacked, Elisha prayed to GOD, “Strike these people blind!” And GOD struck them blind, just as Elisha said.
Then Elisha called out to them, “Not that way! Not this city! Follow me and I’ll lead you to the man you’re looking for.” And he led them into Samaria.
As they entered the city, Elisha prayed, “O GOD, open their eyes so they can see where they are.” GOD opened their eyes. They looked around—they were trapped in Samaria!
When the king of Israel saw them, he said to Elisha, “Father, shall I massacre the lot?”
“Not on your life!” said Elisha. “You didn’t lift a hand to capture them, and now you’re going to kill them? No sir, make a feast for them and send them back to their master.”
So he prepared a huge feast for them. After they ate and drank their fill he dismissed them. Then they returned home to their master. The raiding bands of Aram didn’t bother Israel anymore.
Reflection
Is your faith strong enough to trust the unseen? Have you ever noticed that life has a way of testing our faith? We can easily get overwhelmed with various scenarios that can make us fearful of what might happen. Just like Elisha’s comrade in today’s scripture, we can panic and say, “Oh Master! What shall we do?” I love what Elisha says back to him, “Don’t worry about it— there are more on our side than on their side.” There was an unseen army ready to do battle to help Elisha defeat his enemies. Are your spiritual eyes always open to see what may be hidden from your human perspective? We can reach for worry instead of trusting that God has things under control in His perfect plan for our lives.
We have our part to do in this life as we are obedient to God’s calling on our lives. Yet, we need God to open our eyes to see that no matter how successful we may be on our own, we still need to trust that our plans are in line with His will for our lives. We have to do our best and trust God to do the rest. We all need God to open our eyes to His true character. Our Lord is:
•Ever Present
•In control
•Our Provider
•Our Defender
•Loyal
•Forgiving
•Faithful
•Loving
Action Steps
Do you feel like your spiritual eyes are open or closed? Is there something in your life that is preventing you from trusting in what is unseen? As you pray the prayer below, be mindful of what may be blinding you to the greatness of God. Talk with someone about this. There are always people at The Tree who can help you.
Prayer
Lord, open my eyes so I focus on You, and who You truly are. Help me to remember that there are unseen spiritual forces around me, so I can trust that You are with me. Help me to remember Your true character, so I will not panic when I feel surrounded by fear or uncertainty. Help me keep my faith and trust in You. Amen.
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