“And he answered, Fear not: for they that [be] with us [are] more than they that [be] with them. And Elisha prayed, and said, LORD, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the LORD opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain [was] full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha.” (2Ki 6:16-17 AV)
Syria had come against Israel, and because the blessed Seer warned her king, the nation could evade a war she could not win. The king of Syria believed a spy was among them, but it came to his attention that the man of God was the voice in the ear of the king of Israel. It was discovered where Elisha was abiding. The king of Syria sent forces to completely surround the city. His intent was to destroy it with Elisha also being among the dead. At the time, Elisha was training a young prophet. That young prophet was understandable gravely concerned for their situation. Elisha took his young student out of the gate of the city and prayed that God would open his eyes to the reality of the battle that lay ahead. Now note that the young men’s eyes were opened, and as they were, the angelic forces arrived. Rather, the forces of God were already present and staged for the battle. Experience and faith gave Elisha the spiritual eye to see the reality of the situation. It took prayer for the younger man to see it. What this shows us is that divine intervention is not a logistical problem. It is a perception problem. God is there. God is here. God is everywhere to work on behalf of those who love and trust Him. We simply need to see it.
A common theme in stories of the thriller sort is a cat burglar who must evade several layers of security to catch the prize. Or, the adventurer and treasure seeker must solve a labyrinth of traps designed to protect the valuable artifact. One such scenario is the laser beam security feature. Many beams shoot across the room and picked up by sensors on the opposite side. They come from all directions and at all sorts of angles. The character must stretch and bend to avoid breaking a beam. If even one beam is broken, then he or she is trapped and apprehended. The problem is, the beams cannot be seen. That is where a can of fogger comes in. A light mist or fog is blown over the room, and all the beams can be seen. It is not until an agent is added that assists the character in seeing what he or she cannot naturally see.
Our outside agent is experience, the word of God, and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. We cannot see what God is doing without the eyes of faith. For the young man to see, all it took was the prayer of a man with great faith. Elisha had seen God to great things. Things beyond belief. He has seen God bring a young man dead for hours, if not days, back to life. If God can reanimate a corpse, surely he could rescue them from an invading army. Our faith may determine what God will do. There is enough biblical evidence to make that point. There were times when the lack of faith hindered what God was prepared to do. But that is the key, isn’t it? God is not less of a God because we do not believe. God is not any less present because we have limited perception. Those angelic chariots were on the hill surrounding the enemy, regardless of the young prophet’s perception to see them. God is always there. He is willing to act on behalf of those who trust in Him!
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