I was able to collect my thoughts yesterday, decide the day was mine, not Nettie Elizabeth Duncan McNeil’s, and go to church. I was glad I did. The Sunday school lesson was about faith. In many parts of the world, Christians are being slaughtered for no other reason than faith – their faith in Jesus. Faith is at the core of each of us. Faith is what keeps us going – a reason to live and a reason to die. Faith helps us see beyond the here and now and look at spiritual realms.
One of my favorite stories is found in II Kings 6. Enemies had surrounded the town where Elisha the Prophet stayed. Elisha’s servant ran to tell the man of God that they were surrounded by chariots with horses and many, many soldiers. The situation looked bad. No escape seemed possible. Do you know what Elisha did? He told his servant not to be afraid, that they had many more on their side than the enemy soldiers had with them. What a thing to say! Elisha’s servant certainly couldn’t see any. Where were they? All he could see were those threatening soldiers who, at any moment, would swoop down and kill them. Elisha didn’t grab a sword or wring his hands. He prayed, and he asked God to open the eyes of his young helper.
When the servant looked, he saw the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha! Then, when the enemies came rushing against the prophet, God caused blindness in those who would have killed Elisha.
Elisha saw with the eyes of faith, not fear. God’s armies of protection surrounded him. I’m sure those enemies looked pretty puny against angelic chariots of fire.
Faith in God, faith in His Son Jesus, is the lamp that leads us through many a dark night, the reason to keep going when things around us look pretty grim. Faith gives us courage to speak out for what we know is right. Faith lets us see, not our enemies surrounding us, but spiritual forces of the Lord God, who is greater than all fear and all evil.
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