The king of Syria… called his servants and said to them, “Will you not show me who of us is for the king of Israel?” And one of his servants said… “Elisha, the prophet… tells the king of Israel the words that you speak in your bedroom.”
2 kings 6:11–12
God’s perfect knowledge is a wonderful comfort to His friends. But it infuriates His enemies. When the king of Syria heard that Elisha was revealing his plans, he said, “Go and see where he is, that I may send and seize him” (6:13).
There is a strange leap in the king’s logic here. The reason he couldn’t catch the king of Israel was that Elisha knew when the troops were coming. And the king’s response is to send troops to capture Elisha! How is that going to work?
The king wasn’t taking any chances. “He sent there horses and chariots and a great army” (6:14). A great army to capture one man! That’s how desperate the enemies of God’s people were.
When Elisha went out in the morning, “behold, an army with horses and chariots was all around the city” (6:15). His servant panicked: “Alas, my master! What shall we do?” (6:15). Elisha said, “Do not be afraid, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them” (6:16).
What would you be thinking? “Does Elisha not have eyes to see? There’s a vast army out there. And who’s with us? There’s only you and me!”
Elisha was a prophet. He spoke the Word of God. But this young servant was living in fear. He had not applied his faith to the realities of his own life. He heard the Word of God, but he did not believe it.
Identify one area of your life where you need to apply your faith today.
