"Oh, my lord, what shall we do?" Elisha’s servant asked.
The king of Aram was at war with Israel. He sent horses and chariots and a strong army to the city of Dothan to capture Elisha the prophet. They came by night and surrounded the city. When the servant of the prophet got up and went out early the next morning, an army with horses and chariots had surrounded the city.
"Don't be afraid," the prophet answered. "Those who are with us are more than those who are with them." And Elisha prayed, "O LORD, open his eyes so 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)
In this story the angelic army was already there, but the servant was afraid because he hadn't seen them. Why must we always see with our own eyes in order to believe? Is it not enough to believe because God has said so? He shall give His angels charge over thee to keep thee in all thy ways. (Psalm 91:11) Seeing is the reward of believing, not the other way around.
Why does it have to be this way? Why does God make it so hard for us? Why do we have to take everything by faith? The answer lies in that last little word: faith. It wouldn't be faith if we could see. Jesus said to Thomas, “Because you have seen Me you have believed. Blessed are they who have not seen, and yet have believed.” (John 20:29)
This principle of faith seems to be something God is very interested in. He places a great deal of importance on it. It's something He seems to give us more credit for. Maybe because it is a sign of our love and trust in Him, that we believe Him , and His word, and His spiritual powers and principles. The Bible says about Abraham, that because of his faith he was called a friend of God. (James 2:23) That's a pretty powerful statement. How do you become thefriend of God? Read the story of Abraham and find out. You'll see that his whole story is one of faith.
This issue of faith is what sets us apart from the angels. They can see and feel God and His power. Faith is not something they get rewarded for. It is a privilege reserved only for us. The angels cannot have what we have. The blessings and rewards of faith are reserved for us, who walk the hot, and hard dusty roads of life.
We are battle weary and scarred but we come home triumphant. The angels blow their trumpets to herald our victory. We have won the war of faith. We held on when it seemed the whole world was against us. We didn't give up when the storms of life rocked our ships. Satan attacked us from every side. He threw his worst at us, but we survived. We're still here! We held on. We believed! We did our best. Henceforth is laid up for us a crown of righteousness.
When I receive my crown on that day, I will know I didn't earn it by myself. We too have been helped and aided in our fight by the invisible armies of heaven, the “great cloud of witnesses”. On that glorious day I will want to meet my guardian angel. I would want to meet those dear saints who walked with me and who lifted me up when I was weary. On that day, I will thank them face to face.
Posted by Marie Morrow
The king of Aram was at war with Israel. He sent horses and chariots and a strong army to the city of Dothan to capture Elisha the prophet. They came by night and surrounded the city. When the servant of the prophet got up and went out early the next morning, an army with horses and chariots had surrounded the city.
"Don't be afraid," the prophet answered. "Those who are with us are more than those who are with them." And Elisha prayed, "O LORD, open his eyes so 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)
In this story the angelic army was already there, but the servant was afraid because he hadn't seen them. Why must we always see with our own eyes in order to believe? Is it not enough to believe because God has said so? He shall give His angels charge over thee to keep thee in all thy ways. (Psalm 91:11) Seeing is the reward of believing, not the other way around.
Why does it have to be this way? Why does God make it so hard for us? Why do we have to take everything by faith? The answer lies in that last little word: faith. It wouldn't be faith if we could see. Jesus said to Thomas, “Because you have seen Me you have believed. Blessed are they who have not seen, and yet have believed.” (John 20:29)
This principle of faith seems to be something God is very interested in. He places a great deal of importance on it. It's something He seems to give us more credit for. Maybe because it is a sign of our love and trust in Him, that we believe Him , and His word, and His spiritual powers and principles. The Bible says about Abraham, that because of his faith he was called a friend of God. (James 2:23) That's a pretty powerful statement. How do you become thefriend of God? Read the story of Abraham and find out. You'll see that his whole story is one of faith.
This issue of faith is what sets us apart from the angels. They can see and feel God and His power. Faith is not something they get rewarded for. It is a privilege reserved only for us. The angels cannot have what we have. The blessings and rewards of faith are reserved for us, who walk the hot, and hard dusty roads of life.
We are battle weary and scarred but we come home triumphant. The angels blow their trumpets to herald our victory. We have won the war of faith. We held on when it seemed the whole world was against us. We didn't give up when the storms of life rocked our ships. Satan attacked us from every side. He threw his worst at us, but we survived. We're still here! We held on. We believed! We did our best. Henceforth is laid up for us a crown of righteousness.
When I receive my crown on that day, I will know I didn't earn it by myself. We too have been helped and aided in our fight by the invisible armies of heaven, the “great cloud of witnesses”. On that glorious day I will want to meet my guardian angel. I would want to meet those dear saints who walked with me and who lifted me up when I was weary. On that day, I will thank them face to face.
Posted by Marie Morrow