Angels Offer Support

One of the most awe-inspiring stories about God’s use of angels is found in 2 Kings 6. To fully appreciate the account, some background information is necessary. The king of Syria declared war on Israel. The Syrian king devised secret battle plans with his servants. Unfortunately for him, nothing is secret from the Lord. God supernaturally revealed the king’s battle plans to the prophet Elisha. Elisha, in turn, relayed the plans to the king of Israel. The king of Israel then made the necessary strategic adjustments to thwart Syria’s plans.

After being outmaneuvered one too many times, the king of Syria began to suspect that an Israelite spy had infiltrated his inner circle. But then he received word about what Elisha was doing. The Syrian king learned that Elisha was staying in the town of Dothan. He sent an enormous army to surround Dothan. He intended to make Elisha pay for his God-assisted espionage.

The scene that plays out starting in verse 14 is almost comic. Elisha’s servant, Gehazi, gets up early in the morning while his master is still sleeping and walks outside to begin his day. What he sees blows his mind and shakes him to his core. The entire city is surrounded by Syrian troops and instruments of war. And Gehazi knows why they’re there.

So, while Elisha is trying to get a little shut-eye, Gehazi starts freaking out. He wakes the sleeping prophet and says something to the effect of, “Master! Master! We’re surrounded by our enemies! What are we going to do?”

Elisha did not panic when he heard the news. In fact, he was probably a little irritated that his sleep was interrupted.

“Don’t be afraid,” he told his servant. “For there are more on our side than on theirs!” (verse 16 NLT). Obviously, that math didn’t make sense to Gehazi. Because he was assessing the situation based on what he could see physically.

Elisha asked God to sharpen Gehazi’s vision, to reveal what was invisible to the servant, so that he could have a more accurate sense of the situation. “The Lord opened the young man’s eyes, and when he looked up, he saw that the hillside around Elisha was filled with horses and chariots of fire” (verse 17 NLT). Gehazi saw an invisible army of angels, ready to go to battle at God’s command.

Jesus alluded to a similar invisible army when he rebuked Peter for trying to “save” Him from being arrested. “Don’t you realize that I could ask my Father for thousands of angels to protect us, and he would send them instantly?” (Matthew 26:53 NLT).

Angels have our backs. They stand ready to support us whenever God commands. So when you feel alone, anxious, or outnumbered, pray as Elisha did. Ask God to make you aware of the invisible army that surrounds and protects you.

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