open my eyes

hey team!

this past weekend someone led me to this scripture and i couldn't help but think of my time raising support and all our struggles:

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 no, my lord! What shall we do?” the servant asked.  “Don’t be afraid,” the prophet answered. “Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.”  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.

2 Kings 6:14-17

so what's happening here is that Elisha and his servant are fighting in this battle God has called them to fight and the day of the battle the servant takes his eyes off God and looks and compares his and Elisha's army with their opponents and sees that they are WAY outnumbered and he freaks out. Alas, my master! What shall we do? the servant knew that there was little chance of escaping or surviving an attack from so many.
and then Elisha, a prophet, said: Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them. this seemed unbelievable to the servant. he saw the horses, the chariots, and the great army surrounding them. he could not see anyone who was with himself and Elisha.


this reminds me of support raising. i look at others' achievements and get jealous, i feel like i'm just asking people for money and sympathy, i feel like no one wants to support me, i get lazy and just kind of quit for some days etc etc, and its all because i look to my enemy and the large amount of money i have to raise instead of God and his promises.
but what's cool is that Elisha gave his servant a reason to not fear. this was not empty hope or wishful thinking; it was a real reason for confidence, even if the servant could not see it.


so then Elisha prayed LORD, I pray, open his eyes that he may see. Elisha did not pray that God would change anything in the situation. his only request was that his servant could actually see the reality of the situation. yet, Elisha also did not try to persuade the servant of the reality of those who are with us. the servant could not have this explained to him nor could he be persuaded into it. He had to see it.
what gets me is that Elisha didn't pray that the situation would change but that his servant could see and believe God!!!

Then the LORD opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw. God answered Elisha’s prayer. When a person is blind to spiritual reality, only God can open their eyes.

And behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. so his eyes were opened, the servant saw the reality that he could not see before. he saw that there really were more with him and Elisha than those assembled against them!!

i just thought this was a cool passage, people fighting for God's kingdom and it looks hopeless (like raising support after a month and getting nowhere) and God reminds us that He is for us, He's not against us and HIS ARMY is greater than the enemy's!!!

i'm praying this for all of us.  i'm praying God would open our eyes and give us clarity on this situation and that God would give us eyes to see that He sent his one and only Son into this world for us, the only display of character God has - love, compassion, delight, and rejoicing over our hearts being satisfied by HIM ALONE.

love you all

__rach