While they don’t argue about it any longer like they did when they were little, our kids still wrangle and negotiate with one another when we travel together.  The goal … be the one who gets the window seat on the airplane.  I have to admit, other than being able to get up during the flight whenever I’d like to (at my age, bathroom breaks are much more frequently necessary), I’d rather choose the window seat.  My bladder, and the desire not to disturb others sitting next to me, now require me to select the aisle.  But back on topic, there is something enthralling about sitting in the window seat of an airplane.

At least for me, being able to see out the window of an airplane is thrilling because it provides a view that is unavailable otherwise and allows one to see the bigger picture, seeing beyond what’s apparent at ground level.  That bigger picture can more completely and comprehensively show the world around us, and the world around our situations and circumstances.  Being up that high makes the details below seem smaller.  Or, in a way, it allows us to see them more accurately.  In a way, it can be a sight for sore eyes.

Because at times, in the midst of our battles, all we can truly see are our battles.

Elisha the prophet knew about seeing beyond what was apparent, seeing a bigger picture.  God had many times provided him sight for sore eyes.  One such time, the king of Aram (in modern day Syria) was fighting against and attacking Israel, but the prophet Elisha kept squelching the king’s efforts because God continued to alert Elisha as to the king’s plans.  Of course, the king of Aram was not going to just sit back and let Elisha outsmart him.  So the king went to set a trap for Elisha … 2 Kings 6:11-17 tells the story …

The king of Aram became very upset over this. He called his officers together and demanded, “Which of you is the traitor? Who has been informing the king of Israel of my plans?”  “It’s not us, my lord the king,” one of the officers replied. “Elisha, the prophet in Israel, tells the king of Israel even the words you speak in the privacy of your bedroom!”  “Go and find out where he is,” the king commanded, “so I can send troops to seize him.”  And the report came back: “Elisha is at Dothan.”  So one night the king of Aram sent a great army with many chariots and horses to surround the city.  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.  “Don’t be afraid!” Elisha told him. “For there are more on our side than on theirs!”  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.

The king of Aram sent a massive attack force to Elisha to rid the king once and for all of the nuisance Elisha.  Elisha was surrounded, and on first look, that would have frozen even the most Rambo-like prophet with fear.  Elisha was under attack, surrounded, colossally outnumbered, and there was no escape.  Elisha’s servant saw the reality.  His encouragement to Elisha?  He practically screamed out, “Oh my gosh, we’re done for!  We’ll never get out alive!”

Some of us in our lives get to places like this.  Life’s realities amass around us, and we rightly can feel surrounded, overwhelmed, and beyond our ability to get out of our situation.  When we look around, in the midst of our battle all we can see is our battle.

Elisha’s servant looked around and all he saw was his battle.  It was real.  There was an actual, real army there preparing to destroy Elisha and likely all in his household including the servant.  The attack wasn’t a figment of their imagination.  It was right before them.  Same with our battles.  They’re not imaginary, they’re not overblown, they’re not a lack of faith.  Actual stuff happens, we actually get sick, we actually go through the death of loved ones, we actually lose our jobs, we actually struggle with finances, or with substances.  All that stuff is real.

But so is GOD.  And as big and scary as all that stuff is, our God is bigger and stronger than any scary thing that confronts us.  Whether we see it or not, God is already in our battles ready to bring us victory.  Elisha reminded his servant about God’s bigness and realness.  He asked God to reveal to the servant what was already true.  God was already there in the battle, and already brought the victory to Elisha.

What Elisha was showing his servant (and us) is that we don’t always see the big picture.  We see what seems evident or perhaps what we want to see.  We see the armies amassing before us but we don’t always see the Lord’s armies encircling them.  But God and His armies are already there, we just have to have eyes to see.

God is always at work, He will never be defeated, and He’ll give us sight for sore eyes!  Even if that does not entail Him revealing visually His warring angels mustered on our behalf, He tells us in Deuteronomy 31:8, “Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord will personally go ahead of you. He will be with you; he will neither fail you nor abandon you.”  That’s not some trite, ancient, poetic, intangible verse in an old book.  That is the very word of the living God, who also reminds us, “For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword,” (Hebrews 4:12a) and “All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right.”  (2 Timothy 3:16)

You see, it’s not “seeing is believing,” it’s “believing is seeing.”  When the enemy attacks us, our sight for sore eyes is right there in God’s word, the promises He has made to us to care for us, to provide for us, to bring us victory in the way only He can.  He will never, ever, ever let us down.  Thatis truly sight for sore eyes.

Soli Deo gloria!

MR