Open His Eyes!

 

2 Kings 6 in part is the story Elisha entrapping the Arameans.

 

When the King of Aram was at war with Israel, he would often confer with his officers about where they would invade, and what their next move of attack would be.

 

And scripture tells us that immediately Elisha, the man of God, upon hearing about the king’s raiding strategies, would sound the alarm warning the then King of Israel (Joram), of the danger that lie ahead.

 

But once the King of Aram found this out, he was furious, and sent troops in to seize him.

 

And it was Elisha’s assistant who go up early on the day the troops were invading… with horses and chariots.. everywhere. And the assistant was so frightened he said to his master, Elisha, “Oh sir, what will we do now?” (verse 15)

 

And I love Elisha’s response.

Oh God how I wish it would be my response.. every single time.

 

Elisha said, “Don’t be afraid! For there are more on our side than there are on theirs!” (verse 16)

 

And then look what Elisha did.

 

He prayed.

 

“O Lord, open his eyes and let him see!” (verse 17)

 

And the Lord did.

 

He opened his servants eyes and allowed him, this time, to see a broader vision than before.

 

“… and when he looked up, he saw that the hillside around Elisha was filled with horses, chariots… and fire.”

 

Fire.

 

The word that denotes the presence of the Lord.

 

When Elisha prayed for the eyes of his assistant to open, they opened, but this time it was his spiritual eyes that could see. This time they were opened to the divine reality. It was as though God peeled back the veil that had long covered the weak man’s eyes, so that the proper view of God’s provision could be properly observed.

 

And it reminds me of our Jesus.

The One whose eyes saw only by divine perspective.

The One who saw what blind eyes could not see.

The One who was fixed with calm and joy even when all about Him was chaos and clamor.

The One who saw heaven as the ultimate prize, even in the presence of agony and death.

 

Oh that we would pray to have eyes like those of Elisha.

 

Those that see the flames of fiery presence in the midst of the enemy’s most formidable plans!