When You Are In Need...

"When the servant of the man of God got up and went out early the next morning, an army with horses and chariots had surrounded the city. "Oh, my lord, what shall we do?" the servant asked.

16 "Don't be afraid," the prophet answered. "Those who are with us are more than those who are with them."

17 And Elisha prayed, "O LORD, open his eyes so he may see." Then the LORD opened the servant's eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha." 2 Kings 6:15-17

Yesterday at church we had a guest speaker since our Pastor was on vacation. The message he gave was excellent! And I also really think that it was something that most of us needed to hear. He was talking about the prophet Elisha yesterday and using him as an example for our everyday lives. What I especially liked about him using Elisha as an example is that Elisha was a great man of God! God allowed many, many miracles and wonders to be performed through Elisha, and it can be daunting to see the works of a great man and try to compare our own lives to his. Our everyday humdrum can hardly compare to the things Elisha experienced. Yet there are great lessons to be learned there!

Look at the verses I posted above today. Elisha, the servant he was with, and city they lived in was in danger. They were under attack, and were under-armed for a fair fight. The servant did exactly what most of us would do when trouble advances- he panicked. Isn't that right? That's exactly what we do when trouble finds us, we immediately begin panicking, trying to figure out a way out of that trouble, and it causes us undue stress and anxiety. But what did Elisha do? Elisha prayed. Elisha saw the trouble before him, and before he could even think to panic, he told his servant to not fear and then he prayed, having complete faith in his God to get him through.

I know it's easier said than done, but just think about how much easier life would be if we didn't allow fear and panic to set in. Imagine how wonderful it would be to not allow stress and anxiety to cause such complications! The world tells us to panic and to be stressed, but right here the Bible shows us a way out of normal worldly trouble. Despite what we may think, God really doesn't want us to worry or be under stress. He wants us to be dependant on him though, and sometimes it takes a great stress or trouble to help us to become more reliant on him. Each time a new set of circumstances comes upon us we have a new opportunity to do it right. We have an opportunity to follow Elisha's example and pray first. Before we even begin to think of how we'll solve our problem we need to pray. When we pray first, we are opening up our mind to the possibilities that God might have for us as a way out of the trouble. By praying first, maybe God will present to us an incredibly easy solution that we would have never thought of before. Or maybe God will simply make the trouble go away.

The next time trouble comes your way, just try thinking of Elisha first. Think to yourself "what would Elisha do?" And you'll have your first answer- he would pray. He would ask his God for help and allow him the opportunity to answer. I am so thankful that we have God's word to help us through the worldly troubles that seek to distract us from Him.