A God Who Works in Ways You Can't See

When the servant of the man of God got up and went out early the next morning, an army with horses and chariots had surrounded the city. “Oh no, my lord! What shall we do?” the servant asked.

“Don’t be afraid,” the prophet answered. “Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.”

And Elisha prayed, “Open his eyes, Lord, so that he may see.” Then the Lord opened the servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.

2 Kings 6:15–17

Even though their situation looked dire, in truth, Elisha and his servant weren’t in any danger at all! Because “Those who were with them were more than those who were with the Arameans.”

Here is a reason why we shouldn’t fear when wicked men or a wicked world attacks us as Christians. Because the visible world isn’t all there is! There is far more to reality than what you can see. In addition to the physical realm, there is a spiritual realm that you cannot see. But it is just as real and just as relevant to what happens to you.

Don’t fall into the trap of thinking that the visible world is all there is. No matter how powerful your enemy, no matter how many are on his side, don’t forget that your eyes and your ears and your senses aren’t able to give you the full picture.

Remember that you have an ally in the spiritual realm, and He has delivered His children from impossible situations over and over again. God often chooses to work in this spiritual realm, and you will not be able to see all He is doing to fight for and protect you. So, don’t give in to fear. Learn to trust the God who works in ways you can’t see.

I Will Be With You

When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.

Isaiah 43:2

In this passage God is speaking to Judah through the prophet Isaiah. Isaiah has been telling God's people that they will be sent into exile in Babylon because of their sin. Yet, even in captivity, God doesn't want His people to give way to fear. 

And in Isasiah 43:2, God tells Judah that even if they should pass through water and fire, they should not fear. The reason why? God says, "You won’t be swept away by water or burned by fire, because I will be with you.”

The mention of water hearkens back to Israel’s escape from Egypt and the crossing of the Red Sea and later the crossing of the Jordan River to enter the Promised Land. God was with His people on both occasions and made a way for them to "pass through the waters" safely. 

But, this verse also mentions walking through fire and that proved literally true in the case of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Do you remember their story? All three were cast into a fiery furnace, but when the king of Babylon looked into the furnace he saw not three but four men walking around in the fire. And one of the men looked like a son of God. And none of the men were harmed by the fire. Why? Because God was with them!

Now, if God brought Israel through the waters of the Red Sea and He brought Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego through the fires of their captivity, then how much more will He do so for His church and for you as a New Testament believer? Of course He will.

At some point in the future, trouble will find you. You can't avoid that. But you do not need to live in fear of it for this very simple reason: whatever trouble might find you, you won't have to face it alone. If you are a believer, God will be with you!

Questioning Reality

Jesse had seven of his sons pass before Samuel, but Samuel said to him, “The Lord has not chosen these.” So he asked Jesse, “Are these all the sons you have?” “There is still the youngest,” Jesse answered. “He is tending the sheep.” Samuel said, “Send for him; we will not sit down until he arrives.”

1 Samuel 16:10–11

All of Jesse’s sons passed before Samuel and God did not indicated that any of them were to be anointed king. This presented Samuel with a bit of a brain teaser. God had told Samuel that He would indicate one of Jesse’s sons to be king. But now God’s Word wasn’t matching up with reality. Jesse had seemingly brought all of his sons before Samuel but none of them were the future king. What is Samuel to make of this?

Let me tell you what Samuel didn’t do. He didn’t doubt God’s Word. So often we make that mistake. If the Bible says that soemthing is true and then we look at the reality of the situation, the evidence around us, and it doesn’t match up with what Scripture said, then so many Christians say "Well, the Bible must be wrong!"

But not Samuel. When God’s Word, when His promise, didn’t match up with Samuel's reality the first thing Samuel did wasn’t to doubt God it was to double check his perception of reality. He turned to Jesse and said “Are you sure these are all your sons?” Imagine how silly he must have felt asking that question! But you know what? God’s Word was proved true! Jesse had excluded one of his own sons. 

Here again Samuel sets an example for us to follow. Your confidence in God’s Word and His promises should be unshakeable. So much so that when God’s promise doesn’t seem to match your reality you are more inclined to doubt your perception of reality than you are to doubt God’s promise. Strive to be like that!

Deceiving Ourselves and No One Else

When Samuel reached him, Saul said, “The Lord bless you! I have carried out the Lord’s instructions.” But Samuel said, “What then is this bleating of sheep in my ears? What is this lowing of cattle that I hear?” Saul answered, “The soldiers brought them from the Amalekites; they spared the best of the sheep and cattle to sacrifice to the Lord your God, but we totally destroyed the rest.”

1 Samuel 15:13-15

The frustrating thing about pretending to be something you aren't is that the evidence of who you truly are is all around you. It cries out against you to betray you like the bleating of these sheep. That's the problem with being a hypocrite or of pretending to follow God when you really aren't, is that everyone around you can see how you are really living your life.

What sound or evidence cries out against you and threatens to reveal the truth about who you really are? Your internet search history? Your Netflix watch history? Your credit card history? Or your social media activity? No one can hide the truth about themselves forever. It always comes out in the end. 

But somehow we always fool ourselves into thinking we will get away with it. No other creature on earth is as skilled in self-deception as man. Even a dog that convinces himself he is chasing something other than his own tail, yelps in pain and admits he was wrong when he finally catches his tail and bites down hard on it. But not man. People will lie to themselves and go one refusing to admit their mistakes long after everyone else knows they were wrong. 

That's what Saul did. He refused to admit his sin. He tried to shift the blame onto his own soldiers. He even tried to claim he disobeyed God in order to worship Him! When all along, he ought to have been honest with himself, admitted his sin and asked God for forgiveness. 

Are you deceiving yourself this morning? Are you shifting the blame? You would be far better off just admitting your sin and seeking God's forgiveness.