Open Our Eyes, Lord

Friday, July 30, 2010

Hi I’m Christin Ditchfield with Take It To Heart Ministries.

In the Old Testament, there’s a story about the kind of espionage that “007” could only dream of. Time after time, the king of Aram found his attacks on Israel thwarted because Someone was giving inside information to the other side. The king grew furious when he discovered that all of his secret battle plans and strategies were being revealed by God to the prophet Elisha – who in turn revealed them to the king of Israel, enabling the people of God to outsmart and outmaneuver their enemies. So in the middle of the night, the king of Aram sent a mighty army to surround the city where Elisha was staying, intending to capture and kill the prophet.

“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.

‘Don't be afraid,’ the prophet answered. ‘Those who are with us are more than who are with them.’

Those who are with us? The servant saw no one, save himself and the prophet and a few townspeople. Then 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)

God had sent His own supernatural Heavenly Army to protect them. Their enemies were woefully outnumbered. The battle was over before it began.

The Bible tells us that there is a spiritual battle going on all around us today – a supernatural battle between the forces of good and evil – even if we aren’t always aware of it. The good news is that “greater is He who is in us than he who is in the world.” (1 John 4:4)

When we find ourselves “under attack” – frightened, overwhelmed, or discouraged by the challenges we face – we need to ask God to open our eyes and give us faith to see what He is about to do, what He has already been doing on our behalf. We can trust Him to give us the victory. (Psalm 44:6-8)