Looking beyond ∙
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. – 2 Kings 6:17
2 Kings 6:15-17
15 When the servant of the man of God got up early the next morning and went outside, troops, horses, and chariots were everywhere. “Oh, sir, what will we do now?” the young man cried to Elisha.
16 “Don’t be afraid!” Elisha told him. “For there are more on our side than on theirs!”
17 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.
Laurel and Hardy, iconic figures in the golden age of American cinema, became one of the most beloved comedy duos during the early Hollywood years. The lanky Stan Laurel and the more rotund Oliver Hardy were household names from the late 1920s to the mid-1940s, capturing hearts with their hilarious and captivating performances.
Their cinematic escapades often led them into a myriad of quirky predicaments with unforeseen outcomes. While Oliver was generally the more responsible of the two, he pointed a finger at Stan, exclaiming, “Well, here’s another nice mess you’ve gotten me into.” Accompanied by his signature disappointed and pouty expression, this catchphrase resonated with fans and made its way into over 15 of their films.
Children of the King often find themselves navigating challenging predicaments because of the choices they make. Life is filled with uncertainty. How do we make the best decisions? The Father gave us minds to observe, calculate, and use logic to think things through.
Yet, in the Father’s kingdom, there is much more.
Occasionally, clarity doesn’t spring from strenuous effort and perspiration but emerges through divine inspiration.
In the Father’s kingdom, the King’s children are guided more by faith, not by sight alone. Natural human sight is limited to the physical world that can be seen and observed. However, there are unseen realities that are not visible to the human eye.
Elisha and his servant found themselves in a tough place. They were surrounded by enemies intent on causing them harm. Humanly speaking, they were defenseless. They had no earthly means to resist. But Elisha was aware of something that his servant was not. He could see beyond the visible. Elisha could see the unseen. Elisha knew the Father had dispatched an army of angels to protect him and his servant. Heaven’s angelic army came in the power and authority of the Father, the commander of Heaven’s army. Before Heaven’s army, the Syrian forces were impotent.
Elisha, the prophet, was a seer. He could see the angels. Elisha was fearless because he saw with the eyes of faith. The angels were more than a match for the Syrian army. Elisha wanted his fearful servant to be able to see as he did. Elisha prayed that the eyes of his servant would be opened to see the unseen.
2 Kings 6:17 Elisha prayed, “O LORD, open his eyes, and him see!”
A whole new reality opened for his servant, one that can only be seen by the eyes of faith. The angelic armies had been there all along, yet they remained cloaked to the ordinary human eyes. Much remains invisible and thus hidden to those who do not look with eyes of faith.
“Trusting God means looking beyond what we can see to what God sees” (Stanley).
REFLECT & PRAY
The capabilities of our physical eyes limit our earthly natural vision. In contrast, our spiritual vision has no limitations. With it, the eyes of our hearts are opened and receptive. They allow us to see the unseen.
Father so often I do not know what to do. I am limited in my human resources. Let me learn to tap into Your resources and walk by faith, not sight alone.
INSIGHT
Elisha was a servant leader and a man of faith. He routinely saw the unseen, things that were hidden from others. This extraordinary ability had landed him in the precarious situation of being encircled by adversaries. Aram, the king of Syria, was at war with Israel. He had drawn up secret plans for attack. Time and again, his covert strategies were foiled. His plans were thwarted. He was furious and decided there must be a spy within his ranks that was betraying him.
There was a spy, all right. But that spy was Elisha.
2 Kings 6:12 “Elisha, the prophet in Israel, tells the king of Israel even the words you speak in the privacy of your bedroom!”
Elisha had prophetic insight; he could see the unseen. He could discern what was hidden from others. Geographical distance and palace walls were not obstacles to him.
A leader knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way (John C. Maxwell). A leader can translate vision into reality, faith into substance, and hope into conviction. While a boss issues orders. A true leader guides.
A boss – drives, a leader – leads. A leader is optimistic and upbeat. They radiate confidence and resilience. Challenges are not overlooked nor ignored; they are addressed and surmounted. Ultimately, a leader is defined by optimism, courage, foresight, planning, and implementation.
“The task of the leader is to get his people from where they are to where they have not been” (Henry Kissinger).
2 Corinthians 4:18 We look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.
Paul’s unwavering trust and confidence in the Father’s promise and power rips away the veil of limited physical sight. The chasm between the visible and invisible, the temporary and the eternal, is seamlessly bridged by the lens of faith.
2 Corinthians 5:7 We walk by faith, not by sight
“If we think only of the things that are visible, we are bound to see life that way. But there is another way. The writer to the Hebrews said of Moses: ‘He persevered as though he saw him who is invisible (Hebrews 11:27)” (Barclay).
Supernatural sight, that is, seeing the invisible, comes through faith in the One who is Himself invisible. It is a paradox. It cannot be validated through scientific experimentation.
Ephesians 1:18 I pray that eyes of your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope he has given to those he called.
What do you see, enemies or the angels of Heaven’s army?
¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 7-14-1
© Dr. H 2023
Dr H Reflections 