Today’s Bible study from the Standing on Faith in the Storms of Life series is all about how when we see things through God’s eyes, we can see that those who are with us are greater than those against us. While I encourage you to grab a Bible and a notebook and pen for the Journaling and Reflection section, you may prefer to just think about the prompts or skip them entirely.
Read: 2 Kings 6:8-23
Key Verse: 2 Kings 6:17
And Elisha prayed, “Open his eyes, Lord, so that 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. (NIV)
What Does It Mean?
This is one of my favorite passages of Scripture because it paints a picture of how we often feel as human beings facing difficult – or even impossible – situations in our lives. In verse 15, the servant looks at the armies surrounding the city and responds with dismay – the word translated “alas” (KJV) or “oh no!” (NIV) is a word that is used to indicate despair.
The servant looked at the immediate circumstances and responded with fear and, most probably, a sense of defeat. He quite possibly thought Elisha was mad when the man of God responded that “those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” (v16, NIV), because in the natural, this was clearly not the case. We tend to feel like Elisha’s servant did when we face seemingly impossible situations of our own. We are prone to feelings of overwhelm and defeat.
We look at our circumstances and we can’t see a way out. In the natural, there may not be a way out. But today’s passage reminds us that we have a God who works in the supernatural as well as the natural, and that the antidote to our overwhelm and despair is the opening of our eyes to see what God is up to in the supernatural. We need to remember how big our God is, and hold onto the truth that He has already won the victory, through Jesus’ life, death and resurrection.
When facing dire circumstances, we must allow God to open our eyes and show us His power and majesty, which are, as Elisha declared, far greater than anything the enemy can throw at us. When we have our eyes open to the wonders of God, we do not have to be enslaved by fear and despair, no matter how much the world would tell us otherwise.
Bottom Line
It’s easy to get overwhelmed by our circumstances and start to feel defeated and worn down. When we find ourselves feeling that way, however, we need to lift our eyes from the immediate problems and ask God to open our eyes so that we can see the bigger picture.
We also need to remember that although we face battles in life, God has already won the ultimate victory when Jesus died on the cross, and we have the hope of eternity with God to sustain us when we are feeling overwhelmed.
Journaling and Reflection
- Human nature makes us prone to feeling defeated by our circumstances. How can we guard ourselves against these feelings? What would change if our eyes were open to God’s work in the supernatural?
- Read verses 16 and 17 again. Put yourself in the place of the servant. How do you think he felt before and after Elisha’s prayer?
- Ask God to reveal to you things that you’re not seeing as He sees them.
Prayer Pointers
Thank God that He sees the bigger picture and that He is always at work even when we can’t outwardly observe His works. Ask Him to open your eyes to see His victory when you are facing troubled times.
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