Needing the Eyes of Elisha

Threats to our existence are multiplying. The pandemic has taken the lives of 2.5 million people. Climate change appears to be affecting coastal areas, inlands, and just about every part of the globe. Political extremism threatens decades of peace and stability. People are angry with one another over the most basic issues. Skilled workers are leaving healthcare, education, and other important industries because of exhaustion. And many churches, which used to be places of refuge, have become depressing reminders of how things seem to be changing for the worse. It feels as if our world is on the verge of collapse.

Throughout history, there have been moments when people had similar feelings. The world was certainly different in the days of Elisha the prophet, but the threats felt no less menacing. Famines. Marauding invaders. Disease. Wicked rulers.

In the midst of all this uncertainty, Elisha had an uncanny ability to understand the plans of God. He could see what most humans could not. He was an instrument of healing. He anointed kings. He saved a widow from starvation. He miraculously fed 100 men. He caused an iron ax head to float. He summoned an angry bear.

We read about Elisha’s exploits in the Book of 2 Kings. He was less famous than his teacher and mentor, Elijah, but the stories of his work were legendary even centuries later, all the way to the time of Jesus.

Elisha’s most important attribute was that he could see what most mortals could not. Elisha understood God’s will. He could help people see how God was at work in their world.

In 2 Kings 6:8ff, the Aramean king was waging war with Israel. Elisha was thwarting the Aramean attacks by giving the Israelite king information from the Lord. When the Aramean king discovered that Elisha was providing intel to the Israelite king, he took his army and surrounded the city of Dothan where Elisha lived.

Naturally, the people of Dothan were greatly distressed. Even Elisha’s attendant was filled with panic. He ran to Elisha with the news, “Alas, master. What shall we do?”

If Elisha had been like most people, this would have been the time to be terrified. If he’d been like most people, his social media account would have flooded with hyperbole about their despair. He would have wanted everyone to share in his fear, and the whole city would have given in to panic over the Aramean threat.

A little part of me relates to Elisha’s servant. Well, okay, let me be more honest. I can intimately feel the pain of this servant deep inside my stomach. The agony of watching the world fall to pieces makes me want to run to Elisha (or whoever that may be) and scream, “What are we going to do?”

Elisha’s answer displays that he was no ordinary mortal. He told his servant, “Do not be afraid, for there are more with us than there are with them” (2 Kings 6:16). And then he prayed that God might allow the servant to see what Elisha could see. The attendant’s eyes were opened, and he realized, to his amazement, that the Aramean army was surrounded by an innumerable host of “heavenly” horses and chariots. They had nothing to fear. The story concludes in a most unbelievable and peaceable manner.

Allow me to sermonize for just a moment. We need the eyes of Elisha today. To be more specific, we need Elisha to open our eyes.

Things are indeed bad. Dire, perhaps. Just as the Aramean army was real and they were really surrounding Elisha’s city, so too are our troubles very real today.

There are two important things to remember. First, we must do a better job of learning to see how God is at work. We aren’t called upon to wage war in the way of the world. It’s not all up to us. We don’t need to fight fire with fire. It’s not our job to take over the places of power so that we can exercise power in a “godlier” manner.

Instead, it is our duty to learn how to listen and see how God is at work. We are never alone. This is one of the most central messages of Scripture. How often, however, do we forget about God’s abiding presence? How often do we panic at the sight of danger? The duty of God’s people is to witness to the reality of God’s work and to help others see it as well.

Second, the answers to the world’s problems are almost certainly not what we expect. Our challenges are real. Bad stuff is happening at an alarming rate.

But here’s the reality, at least for people of faith. Things may be dire, but God has the capacity to work when we are at our lowest. Not every bad story has a happy ending, but there are key moments when God’s life-giving power triumphs over the forces of chaos. And those moments tend to come in the manner people least expect. God’s power is made visible in human weakness.

At this moment, the world needs Elisha, the man of God. Can the church step up to take his role? Can we see God at work? And can we help open eyes to the presence and power of God, even at this dark hour?