15. "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” 16. “Don’t be afraid,” the prophet answered. “Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” 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.”
The passage this week introduces us to the spiritual world that is often unseen. The Bible teaches us there are forces that influence and intersect in our lives. We are given some revelations into the world of demons and angels, but so much remains a mystery. It would be presumptuous for us to think we understood it all.
One of the more intriguing Christian novels is a series by Frank Peretti entitled, This Present Darkness and Piercing the Darkness. It was different than I anticipated. It is fiction, but the book addresses the Scriptural presentation of the heavenly warfare that goes on and shows how it invades our world in ways and manners that we may not know. We are graphically reminded of what we imagine is going on between God and Satan in ways we can relate between angels and demons, between the forces of light and the forces of darkness. Of course, the power is the Lord's and we can only imagine since our peek into the heavenlies are only glimpses. I think the conflict is much more than we can comprehend.
What is our part in this warfare? As Christians, God wants us to be aware of some things. We are presented with His sovereignty. We are to believe in His power over all things. We trust His wisdom. We must understand His timing and purposes far exceed our limited insights. We prepare ourselves with faith, truth, and obedience. We are to be a saved people who learn to love and trust God and follow Him despite our feelings, believing He will accomplish His purposes His ways. Prayer is an especially important part of our fellowship with the Lord and prayer power is effective for the righteous.
How God uses His heavenly messengers is a mystery. The fact that He does is to result in fully trusting Him in all situations. Despite the attacks by the evil one, we are to take delight in the truth, “Greater is He than is in us that he that is in the world.” 1 John 4:4
Prayer: Lord, I do love You. May Your Holy Spirit lead me in a trusting relationship with You knowing that You will accomplish Your purposes.
