As far as his eyes could see, all the man saw was soldiers. Foreign soldiers. He knew they weren't there for a friendly visit. “Master!” he called. “What are we to do?” The man’s master, Elisha - prophet of Israel - looked out where his servant had been watching. Elisha surveyed the situation, but his experienced and trusting eyes observed a very different situation.
We’ve all felt surrounded before. As the Church, our rights have been infringed in the name of 'tolerance'. A massive (and quickly rising) debt, realizations of socialism, environmental hysteria, and many other problems threaten our nation. Additionally, we each have our personal doubts, fears, or difficult circumstances. It’s so easy to feel surrounded – because we are.
"'In the world you will have tribulation'" (John 16:33). Not exactly comforting words. Jesus never offered a comfortable life; in fact, He offered the opposite: "'A servant is not greater than his master.' If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you'" (John 15:20). Although we have never been assured that we will lead peaceful and materially satisfying lives, Jesus did give us a promise: "'But take heart; I have overcome the world" (John 16:33). The apostle Paul, arguably one of Jesus' most devoted followers, constantly lived under the threat of imprisonment and punishment. "We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed," he wrote to the Corinthians (2 Cor. 4:8-9). Afflicted - but not crushed! Persecuted - but not forsaken! Struck down - but not destroyed! It's a given: we will have trouble. But God will always get us through it.
When we're frightened or threatened, we are in a position where we can be easily intimidated or moved. We might respond to our troubles by becoming so protective of our rights that we become too aggressive – even mean. (Yes, we have rights, and we should defend them, but there is a difference between defending our rights like Jesus would and defending our rights like the world does.) Other times we might be intimidated into allying with mainstream society and doing what we know is wrong. Or we can be so wrapped up in our worries that we can't focus on anything but our fears. Because of our lack of focus, everything we do is less satisfactory as long as we are consumed by our concern. When we feel surrounded, we are all too often easily angered, manipulated, or taken off our focus.
Elisha knew a better way to respond to impossible situations. As he looked out on the malicious army, he counseled his servant, “‘Do not be afraid, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them’” (2 Kings 6:16). Then he prayed, “‘O LORD, please open his eyes that he may see.’ So 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 6:17). Elisha was surrounded by a foreign army, but the foreign army was surrounded by the army of God! Now Elisha’s servant understood: just because we can't always see God's hand at work doesn't mean He is idle. Elisha prayed again, and God made every enemy soldier blind. The once-terrifying horde was easily dissuaded from their quest – and fooled into defeat in a humorous, surprising conclusion (2 Kings 6:15-23). "'For nothing is impossible with God'" (Luke 1:37).
When we are confronted with what seems like a hopeless set of circumstances, we don’t need to worry, become angry, or blend in with the crowd. We should just pray for eyes to truly see. As someone has said, “You with God is always a majority.” Our all-knowing, all-powerful God is always doing more than we can understand - or see.
