Thursday, September 4, 2014

The God of Angel Armies

2 Kings 6:16-17 - Elisha said, “Don’t be afraid, for those who are with us outnumber those who are with them.” Then Elisha prayed, “Lord, please open his eyes and let him see.” So the Lord opened the servant’s eyes. He looked and saw that the mountain was covered with horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.

Elisha was being pursued by the king of Aram, one of Israel’s long-time enemies. The king was upset because God had been revealing the king’s battle plans to Elisha through supernatural means. Elisha would then tell his own people those plans so they could intervene. The king of Aram sent horses, chariots, and a massive army to surround the city where Elisha lived. The next morning when one of Elisha’s assistants woke up and saw the army, he could not imagine how they would survive the coming attack. Elisha responded by saying, “Those who are with us outnumber those who are with them.” Elisha then asked God to open the eyes of his assistant so that the young man could see the supernatural army of horses and chariots of fire that surrounded Elisha’s position. Then God used a miracle to lead the attacking army away, and as a result, the Arameans stopped raiding the Israelite territory.

Though many centuries have passed since that event took place, God is still doing supernatural events around us. We often get so focused on our problems and difficulties that, like Elisha’s servant, we wonder in despair how we will endure. In those times we need to remember that God has legions of angels at His command. We need to remember that God has never been defeated in all of history. God has a plan and is working that plan out for ultimate good in the universe. We need to remember that God’s forces always outnumber the enemy, and in the end, God’s side always wins. We need our eyes to be opened so that we can see what God is doing around us and take comfort in the power He has at His disposal to do things in ways we never could have dreamed of. Our hearts do not need to be troubled. We need to believe in Jesus and look to Him for our hope!

Lord, help us trust You, even when it seems humanly impossible for our situation to work out well. Amen.




This post is an excerpt from the book, The Heavenly Mundane: Daily Devotions from Ordinary Experiences. Filled with stories of how God spoke in big ways through small events, the book will encourage people to look for God in the mundane things of life. Great for both personal use and to give as a gift to friend, either the print version or the e-book version may be purchased at this link:

2 comments:

  1. We had a guest speaker at our church lastnight who talked about the things going on in the world not to be wondering where are you God and Freak out but for us as a church to Check our armor & weapons (Armor or put on our armor (Ephesians 6:10-18) ) and allow God to work through us and be the light that people are and going to be looking for. But if we are consummed with fear of the world issues then we wont be much help for the broken, lost people who are also in fear. It's time for us a church body to get ready and war. Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but it's against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Ephesians 6:12 Are we ready to take up our cross and follow him?

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