"And when the servant of the man of God arose early and went out, there was an army, surrounding the city with horses and chariots. And his servant said to him, “Alas, my master! What shall we do?”
16 So he answered, “Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” 17 And Elisha prayed, and said, “LORD, I pray, open his eyes that he may see.” Then 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." 2 Kings 6:15-17
I was thinking about these verses for most of the day yesterday. I was thinking about how God often answers our prayers in unexpected ways. Just this past January, I was talking to God towards the end of the month. I was pointing out to him that Andy really didn't have any more side jobs to do, and he wasn't going back to work, and we had a whole February's worth of bills to be paid. My expectations were that Andy was going to find some work, or some odd jobs that would get us through. God had a different answer for us. God used a past circumstance to provide a means of income for the month of February, and honestly, it was wonderful to not have to worry for a few weeks about how we were going to pay that bill next week. I did not expect a check to show up in the mail, and I think that's one of the things God was telling us with that, is that He is God and can do what He wants, when He wants, and in His unexpected way.
I love these verses about Elisha and his servant, because the truly are in a desperate circumstance, that to the natural eyes looks like it's impossible. Imagine waking up in the morning, crawling out of our tent and discovering an entire army surrounding you! That's what happened to this servant, and I imagine that while he tried to find a way out of the situation, his mind wasn't really thinking of many solutions. He was probably trying to figure out what would happen if they surrendered peacefully, actually. But when we went to Elisha, full of worry and panic, Elisha knew better, because he could see in the spirit, and he saw the army of God with them. When Elisha prayed and asked for his servant's eyes to be opened, the servant was also able to see beyond what was going on in the natural around him.
Imagine that! Imagine your sight changing before your very eyes, and suddenly seeing that which you hadn't been able to see before. How amasing and wonderful (and maybe a little bit scary) to suddenly see an entire army of angels and horses and chariots of fire all around you!
May God open our eyes so that we may see!!
I am certain that this servant had no thought of what he saw prior. He may have expected that Elisha could pray to God and have them lifted up and moved supernaturally, as had happened to Elijah several times before, but instead, God used this situation to use the unexpected, and Elisha then prayed that God would blind the army around them, and Elisha led them elswhere before having their eyes opened back up. And even more than that, this army could have easily been wiped out by the army of angels on Elisha's side, but when Elisha had led them far away from him, he had their lives spared, and gave them a great feast before sending them on their way.
Expect the unexpected!
That's the mindset I want to have! When I have an issue, a problem, a struggle, and I take it to God, I want to take it to Him completely... I want to be able to lay it at his feet and trust that He will take care of it, and then not think on it further. Because you know what happens when I think on it? I think on it and I find myself coming up with my own solutions, I try to think on how God is going to solve this pickle, and honestly, I'd just rather see the Glory of God in the answers to my problems, and see exactly what He is going to do this time, because it will probably be awesome! I don't want to come up with "options" for God, I want to see His Hand upon our lives in a way that can only be explained by Him. That's how we share His love with others, by sharing what He has done for us, and those unexpected things are the coolest to tell about.
Open our eyes Lord, and help us to expect the unexpected.
1 comment:
Heck yeah!
I love this, because it is so similar to what God has been working in my life too. As an educated woman in the medical field, it is such a temptation to analize things. Recently, I have found myself feeling jealous of other women who don't seem to be that intelligent. They aren't very educated, don't think very critically, and yet God seems to pour blessings upon them in ways I have been craving for years. Because of this, I have started thinking of intelligence as a curse. That it's a burden and it would be so much easier to simply trust God if I couldn't think about much. How wrong I was!
God has shown me that the greatest blessings come when we simply let God be God. Intelligence is not a curse, but it does sometimes bring a snare of analizing the things of God. The temptation to try and figure out why and how he is going to answer my prayers. It's foolishness really!
How is God going to answer my prayers? Because of his exceeding greatness of power to usward who believe! Why? Because of His great love for his kids! I don't need to pray, then think up every possible scenario I can imagine where God will bring the answer to pass! It's too much for my earthly brain. I will never be smarter than God, and I will never be able to imagine the blessings he has in store for me as his child. So, why even try to figure it out?
I want to believe God like a child. I want to simply believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek him. Simple. God would not make it hard!
Thanks for this post! God loves to show himself strong to his children, and your attitude of letting God be God and resting in his might is inspiring. Thanks!
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