Seeing Is Believing
by Chaplain Jim Robinson
One of the most revealing expressions in Scripture is when it talks about our eyes being opened – about seeing in a deeper dimension than with our physical sight. There is a higher level by which we become spiritually aware and gain understanding of something otherwise unknown and we experience realities ordinarily beyond our experience as God gives us a vision to see and to understand.
The story in II Kings 6 is a classic illustration of this. The king of Aram and his army were warring against Israel. He would attempt to set a trap that would enable him to wipe out some of the forces of Israel, but somehow it was always discovered. At first he thought an officer in his own army was giving away the secrets. He finally learned that it wasn’t one of his own men, but rather the prophet Elisha. God was informing Elisha of what the king said in his private quarters. The King of Aram was furious and sent a strong force after the prophet Elisha, to wipe him out. II Kings 6:15 says, “And when the servant of the man of God arose early and went out, there was an army, surrounding the city with horses and chariots. And his servant said to him, ‘Alas, my master! What shall we do?’" The servant saw what seemed to be a hopeless situation. What were they to do? Elisha told his servant, “Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them. And Elisha prayed, and said, ‘LORD, I pray, open his eyes that he may see.’ Then the LORD opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw. And behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.” (II Kings 6:16-17)
Some may disagree, but I say that this is not a circumstance that is out of the ordinary. This is a very ordinary circumstance. Ordinary in the sense that in our sinful condition we often don’t see the reality around us. We tend to see the forces of the enemy, the forces of evil, and the negative, and we don’t understand, until we begin to see with spiritual eyes, what God has in store for us. We don’t see things correctly. In other words, one who is not in the spirit of God, does not view reality very well. What they see is phoney and incomplete. They don’t see the whole picture.
After Elisha prayed, his servant saw these terrific forces around them protecting them. I would like to suggest that’s the way things really are. As God’s children, we are surrounded by all of the defenses and help and resources that we’ll ever need. That is a fact that is shown over and over again in Scripture. God doesn’t leave us out there by ourselves if we are doing His will.
In order to see the picture correctly, we first need to realistically see
our sinful condition. Most people think of themselves as being pretty good.
But when we are guided by the Holy Spirit, there is an experience of seeing
that brings guilt. When we start seeing ourselves the way we are in relationship
to the perfection of God, how do we look? We look terrible. When I see myself
in relationship to Jesus Christ, I’m filthy. I am a person of unclean
lips and dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips. (Isaiah 6:5) When
we begin to see our sinful condition correctly, we begin to experience the
guilt and condemnation that goes with it. Adam and Eve were put in the garden
and told they could eat anything they wanted, except from one tree. Which tree
did they eat of? Naturally, the forbidden one. What happened afterwards? God’s
voice spoke in the garden calling to them, but they were hiding in the bushes.
They realized they were naked and were ashamed.
It wasn’t their naked bodies that caused them humiliation, it was the
fact that they stood condemned. Whenever we get new knowledge from the Holy
Spirit about ourselves and our status, we should take it seriously.
We also need to be aware of our spiritual resources. When the army of the Lord was encamped about for a defense, it wasn’t some unique, different thing. It is something that is always true. God always has His angels around us. He always protects us. He always takes care of His children. The true believer learns that when in a crisis, there are always spiritual resources to meet the needs. When the eyes of faith are seeing, there is never a reason or cause for fear. The apostle Paul calls our attention to this when he wrote about the riches in Christ Jesus, by which God will supply our every need. (Philippians 4:19) It can be difficult to move from a place of our human, everyday existence to the place of being able to see the spiritual realities that are around us. To live by faith rather than by sight seems like a simple thing, but it is difficult.
Luke 24 tells the story of two followers of Jesus walking on the Road to Emmaus after the crucifixion and resurrection. Jesus joined them on their walk and talked with them. They finally asked him to stay and eat with them. Verse 30-31 say, “Now it came to pass, as He sat at the table with them, that He took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. Then their eyes were opened and they knew Him; and He vanished from their sight.” When it says their eyes were opened, it doesn’t mean they were walking around with their eyes physically closed. Their problem was that their physical eyes were open but they weren’t seeing. When Jesus sat down with them, they suddenly had their vision restored and recognized that this was the Lord. When our hearts are open, and when we are seeing with the eyes of faith, Jesus Christ is always with us. He always gives us of His Presence. If we need other resources they will always be there. This isn’t just a matter of every once in a great while God meets a need is some of His followers lives. He always meets all of their needs in all of their lives. We can trust Him.
One of the greatest gifts from God is the gift of insight – of seeing with the eyes of faith. The gift of insight is perhaps not the same as the gift of faith. God does give the gift of faith to particular individuals, which allows them to have more faith than most of the people around them. But every Christian should have faith enough to live with the eyes of faith. If we have the eyes of faith, we will again and again have experiences where we recognize God’s protection, help and resources above and beyond any normal human explanation.
There are three very simple things that will help us see a picture of reality that is different from those around us. 1) Devour the Word of God – read His Word – know His Word. 2) Follow the will of God in your life. How do you know God’s will? If you want to do God’s will, you will know God’s will when you need to know it. He’ll make it plain. He doesn’t play games with us. 3) Give ourselves to the work of God. Every Christian is to give themselves to ministry. That doesn’t mean every Christian is to be a pastor or teacher. But every Christian is to, in some way, minister the Gospel of Jesus Christ to those around them. Every Christian is to be a representative of Jesus Christ. People should look at us and recognize that we are a servant of Jesus Christ.
If we do these three things, we will over and over again have situations where we will sense and see God’s presence, power and resources when those around us have no understanding of what is happening. There is always more to life than meets the eye. While seeing is believing with many, some learn that believing is seeing. God help us all to learn that believing is seeing and to practice that in our lives.
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