aBible.com     

2 Kings 6:16 - Spiritual Eyesight - the 5th dimension.

2 Kings 6:16; Spiritual Eyesight - the 5th dimension.

2 Ki 6:16 (KJV)  And he answered, Fear not: for they that be 
with us are more than they that be with them. 

2 Ki 6:16 (CWB)  Elisha said, "Don't be afraid.  We have a 
stronger force on our side than they have on theirs." 

This verse is a wonderful source of comfort when we find 
ourselves surrounded by sin or discouragement. [Passages Of Life SB] 

We are frequently blinded by the seemingly overwhelming 
obstacles directly in front of the path and do not raise our sight to 
God's deliverance and presence just beyond the first horizon. 
[Disciple SB] 

In the sojourn of life the people of God often find themselves 
in situations that would cause them to be uncertain and afraid, but 
God makes His presence known and speaks words of courage and... When a 
man of God is surrounded by the enemies of the Lord, he may always 
have the assurance that the strength that is with him is infinitely 
greater than the strength of the enemy.... The weakest child of God, 
seemingly alone and forsaken on earth, need never be afraid of all the 
forces the enemy may send against him. With God on his side he is more 
than a match for the mightiest hosts of evil.  [SDA Commentary] 

Faith reveals that God is doing more for his people than we can 
ever realize through sight alone. When you face difficulties that 
seem insurmountable, remember that spiritual resources are there even 
if you can't see them. Look through the eyes of faith and let God 
show you his resources. If you don't see God working in your life, 
the problem may be your spiritual eyesight, not God's power. [Life 
Application SB] 

Sight looks to appearances, and fears; while faith (v. 16) looks 
to God, and the soul is at peace. [Wycliffe Bible Commentary] 

The clearer sight we have of the sovereignty and power of 
Heaven, the less we shall fear the troubles of earth. [Matthew Henry 
Commentary] 

We can be calm in the midst of troubles if our hope is fixed in 
God rather than in modern "Assyrias." [Victor Bible Reader's 
Companion] 

Security is not the absence of danger but the presence of God no 
matter what the danger. [Daily Walk Bible] 

If you wear glasses, then you're probably familiar with the term 
myopia. Myopia, simply defined, is improper focus. Images appear fuzzy 
or blurred because the eye is incapable of bringing the light to a 
sharp focus. Physical myopia can be detected and corrected quite 
easily. 
But there is a similar visual problem in the spiritual realm. 
Let's call it "spiritual myopia." The symptoms: clear focus when it 
comes to identifying problems, obstacles, and difficulties in everyday 
life, but great difficulty in focusing on the reservoir of power and 
protection which God has provided to meet those problems head-on. Spiritual 
myopia is the condition Elisha's servant suffered from when he focused 
on the problem (6:15) but not the provision (6:17). He saw only a 
horde of Syrians, while Elisha saw the host of angels. 
On a 3 x 5 card, draw a small eye chart (similar to what you 
would find in an ophthalmologist's office) using the words of 2 Kings 
6:16 and place it on your mirror or mantel. Let it remind you often 
of the importance of proper spiritual focus in your walk with God. 
[Your Daily Walk SB] 

Read the next sentence carefully, counting the number of times 
the letter f occurs, and write down your answer: 
"The father of the bride paid for half of the festivities; the 
unpaid balance of the bill he left for his new son-in-law as a wedding 
gift" Did you spot five. . . six. . . seven? The correct answer is 
ten! It's one thing to have "eyes to see" hidden letters in a 
sentence; it's something altogether different--and infinitely more 
significant--to have eyes to see God at work in the world around you. Elisha's 
young servant was distraught when he saw the soldiers of Syria 
surrounding the city of Dothan. The outlook was grim; there seemed to be no 
hope of escape. But the servant lacked the eyes of faith to see the 
angelic host God had dispatched to protect his prophet. 
There are many things you will never "see" until you view life 
from God's perspective. Look up these verses to test your own 
"spiritual acuity" today: Psalm 25:15; 11:3; 119:18; 123:2; 141:8. [Daily 
Walk Bible] 

Elisha's servant was terrified by the awesome Syrian army 
because he couldn't see the help available to him. He was totally 
unaware of the great army of heavenly soldiers on his side. As we face 
the difficult task of recovery, we may be tempted to give up; our 
enemies may seem too powerful to overcome. But as we begin to see 
through the eyes of faith, we will discover the awesome power available 
to us. God's power is far greater than that of any of the enemies 
we might face. If we trust God for help and admit our 
powerlessness, we will find his power more than sufficient for our needs.  
[Life Recovery SB] 

Birds Are Super Navigators
And Elisha prayed, and said, Lord, I pray thee, open his eyes, 
that he may see. And the Lord opened the eyes of the young man and he 
saw . . . horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha. 2 Kings 
6:17. 
Elisha and the young man seemed to be trapped, and the youth was 
afraid. Elisha wasn't worried at all. Not only did he have faith in the 
guiding hand of God, but he was also able, with expanded powers of sight 
granted to him by God, to see the Lord's forces always ready to protect 
and deliver. He asked that the young man experience this special 
sight. 
That God is able to grant such powers of perception should be no 
surprise in light of recent discoveries of the birds' ability to pick 
their way through darkness to exact locations year after year, 
traveling across trackless oceans, through fog and storms. 
It has been known for some time that birds navigate by the 
stars. Without compass, watch, or map, they know exactly where to go by 
using the stars to guide them. More recently it was discovered that 
birds are also sensitive to air-pressure changes that are so slight 
that weathermen have to use special instruments to detect them. By 
using this sensitivity, birds can avoid storms in their path. 
Also, birds are able to hear infrasound (sound so low in pitch 
that our ears cannot hear it) that is made by storms, waves, and 
earthquakes more than a thousand miles away. That means that they can hear 
the waves on a beach hundreds of miles away! And now we have learned 
that birds can see polarized light, which allows them to pinpoint the 
location of the sun even when the sun is behind the clouds. They know 
where they are going even on cloudy days. 
So birds possess at least four perceptual abilities that we 
don't have. Just as Elisha and the youth were able to escape openly 
through the blinded enemies, so the birds thread their way easily 
through what seem to us to be impossible barriers. That is only a 
glimpse of the powers of perception that God, in His love, wants to open 
for us. [Glimpses Of God's Love by J & P Tucker] 

The local sheriff had decided to tighten the requirements for 
his deputies. Each man had to qualify on the firing range, and the 
distance had been extended from fifteen yards to twenty-five yards. So 
the deputies gathered to try their hand at hitting the target at the 
increased distance. Each man had eighteen seconds to get off twelve 
shots. 
The best shot in the area is also a personal friend, George 
Burgin, who, together with his wife, Corenne, keeps an eye on Bill and 
me. The day before the trials he had been fitted with his first pair 
of trifocals. When his time came to shoot, he drew a bead on the 
target. 
"Suddenly," as he told me later, "I began to perspire. And when 
I perspire, my glasses fog up. There I was with a bead drawn on 
the target, and all I could see was fog." 
"Then I remembered what our old Navy instructor had taught us: 
'If (for some reason) you ever lose sight of the target,' he said, 
'just remember your position."'  
"So," our friend said, "I just held my position and pulled the 
trigger as fast as I could. By then I had less than eighteen seconds, 
but I got off all twelve shots. When I took off my glasses and wiped 
them, I had hit the bull's-eye every time." 
There are times when we, for some reason, lose sight of our 
target -- which is to glorify our Lord. The world is too much with us. 
Tears blur our vision. Unexplained tragedy raises questions that 
cannot be answered and shakes our faith to its foundations. 
Then we must remember our position, for the Christian's position 
is "in Christ." As if we were tired or hurt children, He will 
gather both us and our loads. 
Though we may not, for some reason, see the target, if we just 
"remember our position," we won't miss. (From The Legacy of a Pack Rat by 
Ruth Bell Graham) [Inspirational SB] 

Psa 34:7 (KJV)  The angel of the LORD encampeth round about them 
that fear him, and delivereth them. 

1 John 4:4b (KJV)  Greater is he that is in you, than he that is 
in the world. 

Rom 8:31b (KJV) If God be for us, who can be against us?