So he answered, “Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” (II Kings 6:16, NKJV)
How could one man’s actions cause an entire army to go on a search mission to find him and seize him? Yet, that is what happened in II Kings 6. The man was Elisha, the prophet of the Lord, and the Syrian army wanted to find him.
Is There a Spy?
Time and again, Israel managed to evade the Syrian army. They seemed to always know where the Syrians would be. Was there a traitor within their ranks? The Syrian king was beginning to think so. Frustrated and deeply troubled, the king finally called his men together to discover who the spy was. Someone had to be telling the king of Israel their plans. I can only imagine his surprise at the answer he received.
“It’s not us, my lord the king,” one of the officers replied. “Elisha, the prophet in Israel, tells the king of Israel even the words you speak in the privacy of your bedroom!” (II Kings 6:12, NLT)
When the Lord revealed the location of the Syrians to Elisha, the prophet would then warn the King of Israel to avoid that place.
the visible army
Learning that Elisha was in Dothan, the Syrian king sent his army to surround the city under the cover of darkness. The next morning, Elisha’s servant discovered they were surrounded by a vast army with its horses and chariots. In fear, He cried out to his master, “What will we do?”
The prophet was not alarmed at all. Elisha saw something the servant did not.
“Don’t be afraid!” Elisha told him. “For there are more on our side than on theirs!” Then Elisha prayed, “O LORD, open his eyes and let him see!” The LORD opened the young man’s eyes, and when he looked up, he saw that the hillside around Elisha was filled with horses and chariots of fire. (Verses 16 and 17 NLT)
In a strange turn of events, there was no battle that day. No one was wounded or died in fighting. Take time to read how the prophet was able to trick an entire army—with God’s help of course. The surprise ending will cause you to smile.
god’s army
Psalm 27, verses 3 and 5, tells us:
“Though an army may encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; though war may rise against me, in this I will be confident . . . For in the time of trouble He shall hide me in His pavilion; in the secret place of His tabernacle He shall hide me; He shall set me high upon a rock.” (NKJV)
We may not have a physical army surrounding us, but we do have situations arise that cause anxiety and fear. Whatever you are facing today, you can trust God to send the help you need.
Until God opened his eyes, Elisha’s servant could only see the enemy. Yet, the invisible army God had summonsed was much more powerful than the visible army. Like the servant, we do not always recognize how God works to provide the help we need. Although something may not be visible to us, it does not mean nothing is happening. Ask Him to open your eyes.
Make Psalm 31:7-8 your prayer today.
“I will be glad and rejoice in Your mercy, for You have considered my trouble; You have known my soul in adversities, and have not shut me up into the hand of the enemy. You have set my feet in a wide place.”
Devotion by Mary Loudermilk
