We have been studying Experiencing God again and it is as awesome as the first time i studied it 14 years ago. This week (Unit 4, page 80) I was reminded of an awesome Bible story that has meant so much for me – this story set me on a course of spiritual growth that has helped me tremendously.

Israel’s enemy, the king of Aram was warring raiding places in Samaria (an area of Israel). But every time they were going to go on a raid, God told Elisha the prophet where the Arameans were going to raid. Elisha told the king of Israel and he would send the army to defeat them. The king of Aram thought there was a traitor in his kingdom, but someone knew about Elisha and said we have to take out Elisha before we can get to the king of Israel. So they set out to go to Dothan and get Elisha and one morning. Here is what happened. Check out the story in 2 Kings 6:8-23.

2 Kings 6:14-17 So one night the king of Aram sent a great army with many chariots and horses to surround the city. ¹⁵ When the servant of the man of God got up early the next morning and went outside, there were troops, horses, and chariots everywhere. “Oh, sir, what will we do now?” the young man cried to Elisha. ¹⁶ “Don’t be afraid!” Elisha told him. “For there are more on our side than on theirs!” ¹⁷ Then Elisha prayed, “O Lord, open his eyes and let him see!” 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.

What a cool story!!!! This really happened. Elisha’s servant was very afraid. This young man thought his life was in danger and they were going to die. From all outward appearances, that was the case. The realist would have agreed. He would have came and said, preacher, you know I am a realist, we are going to die today. But Elisha was very mature in his walk with God. He had his spiritual eyesight developed and his spiritual hearing was developed. This man could see where God was all around him. He could hear the slightest whisper of God’s voice. He had honed his spiritual senses so sharp that nothing God was doing around or saying to him escaped his notice.

Elisha prayed for his dear fearful servant, “O Lord, open his eyes and let him see!” Do you hear the compassion in Elisha’s prayer? He said “O Lord” as if saying Father one of your dear children needs a growth spurt in his walk with you, he just doesn’t understand.” Our walk toward Christian maturity will be thwarted unless we intentionally hone our spiritual senses and allow God to sharpen them as well. Simply we won’t grow spiritual unless we can spiritually hear and spiritually see.

Elisha continues His prayer, “open his eyes and let him see” as if he were saying please open his spiritual eyes to see what I know is there and see by faith. Allow him this rare opportunity, and peel back the curtain of this world, so he can see the true reality. What is real is not always what you see with your physical eyes. Elisha was the true realist for his worldview was based upon God’s Word not an analysis of the physical world in which we exist. And Elisha’s servant saw the God reality around them! They were surrounded by the Heavenly Army of the Lord God Almighty. This Aramean army thought they had Elisha surrounded, but they were the ones who were in reality, really surrounded. Check out the rest of the story and you will get a great laugh. God has an awesome sense of humor. The way God handled it, no one got killed, the war stopped, and God got all the glory.

Developing our spiritual senses of hearing and seeing God is not for our benefit or because we are someone special, it is only for God’s glory and nothing else.

Let us pray fervently, humbly, daily, and in faith “Lord, open my eyes that I may see!”