August 19, 2016

Open Our Eyes

2 Kings 6:8-23

Elisha prayed, “Open his eyes, Lord, that he may see.” . . . He looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.

—  2 Kings 6:17

Elisha’s servant was looking but not seeing. He saw the army of Aram surrounding their town, but he did not see the host of angels protecting God’s people. He was walking in spiritual blindness.

We can be the same way. We might see only disappointments, or discouragements, or enemies all around. We might fear the stranger, complain about the lazy, and point fingers at those who disagree. We might fear that the world is lost to the devil, and we are the ones who suffer. We might be baited with putting God aside so that we can earn our fortune and have fun, only to experience everlasting loss.

Elisha’s prayer is a great way to address our blindness to God’s rule. We can pray, “Open our eyes, Lord, that we may see.” When our eyes are opened, we see sin as sin and the lust of the flesh as rebellion against God. And we see that Jesus has already won the victory. Christ already rules in heaven. This world is all in his hands. Have no fear, for we know that God wins.

When the Lord opened the servant’s eyes, “he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.” These heavenly hosts were surrounding and protecting them. The servant’s fear melted away. If God is on our side, who can stand against us?

Lord, open our eyes so that we can see you are on our side. Help us to live fearless lives in a hostile world, with your protection. In Jesus, Amen.

About the author — John Kuperus

Since he was young, John Kuperus has had a passion that everyone would know Jesus. Spreading the good news that “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners” (1 Timothy 1:15) is very important to him. To be better equipped for missions, John attended Reformed Bible College in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He applied these skills with marketplace evangelism in a business he started in Sussex, New Jersey. This calling continued to follow him, so John attended seminary and became a minister in the Christian Reformed Church, serving a church in Ontario for eight years. Currently he serves as a missionary for Youth with a Mission (YWAM). He witnesses Jesus changing lives as people walk out of the darkness into the light. John is married to Helen, and they have seven children.

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