May 29 - Nº 149 2 Kings 6:8-23
God used Elisha in many ways while he was a prophet in Israel. Not only did he impact the people with his powerful miracles, but he protected them with his prophecies. King Benhadad of Syria (also called Aram) often attacked Israel. But God always informed Elisha of Benhadad’s plans. Elisha would then warn the king, so Israel would be prepared for battle. The Syrian king grew tired of constantly being defeated. He realized that someone was informing the Israelites of his strategies. He searched through his troops for a traitor. “We are not the ones informing the Israelites,” one of his officers insisted. “We are all loyal to you. It is Elisha, the prophet, who is revealing the king’s plans. He knows what you say, even when you are alone in your bedroom.” The Syrian king ordered the officer to find out where Elisha was so that he could send men to capture him. The report came back: “He is in Dothan.” So, the king sent a large army with horses and chariots to Elisha’s hometown. They arrived at night and surrounded the city. Elisha’s servant got up early the next morning and stepped outside. He was shocked to see the massive Syrian army surrounding the city. He panicked, ran back inside, and yelled, “What shall we do?” “Don’t be afraid,” Elisha calmly replied. “The army fighting for us is much larger than the army that is fighting against us!” Then he prayed, “God please open Gehazi’s eyes so that he can see what I see.” And God did! When Gehazi looked outside again, he saw the hills surrounding the city covered with horses and chariots of fire. At that point, the Syrians started moving toward Elisha’s house. The prophet prayed again. “Lord,” he said, “Please close the eyes of these men and make them blind.” Suddenly no one in the Syrian army could see! Elisha walked up to them and said, “Somehow, you’ve come to the wrong place. I’ll guide you to the place you should be.” So, he led the Syrian army twelve miles to Samaria, the capital of Israel. When they were inside the gate, Elisha prayed, “Lord, now please open their eyes again so they can see.” When the Syrian army looked around, they realized they were trapped in the middle of Israel’s capital city. They weren’t sure what to do. Trying to fight or escape seemed futile, since God could just blind them again. They were at Elisha’s mercy. When the king of Israel saw the disheveled Syrian army inside his city gates, he didn’t know what to do either. He asked Elisha, “Shall I kill them?” “No. Don’t do that,” Elisha responded. “You didn’t capture them in battle. They are your guests. Give them food and drink then let them go back to their master.” So, the king prepared a great feast for his guests. When they were finished eating and drinking, he sent them back to Syria in peace. It was a long time before Syria invaded Israel again.
Our God knows everything that will ever happen to us! And He is powerful enough to handle any problem we will ever face! But we can only expect His help if we are willing to ask for it. We need to pray instead of panic when we face crisis situations. Although we may never see them, God has armies of angels prepared to fight for us!
