This article is dedicated to the loving memory of my mother, Ruth May – a true prayer warrior.
As we watch prophetic events unfold in the Middle East, we are reminded of war between Israel and Syria in the days of the prophet Elisha:
“Therefore he sent horses and chariots and a great army there, and they came by night and surrounded the city. And when the servant of the man of God [Elisha] 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?’ So he answered, ‘Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them’” (2 Kings 6:14-16).
Ben-Hadad sent a great army to capture Elisha. The fact that the army “came by night” proves that the Syrians really did believe in Elisha’s ability to anticipate their moves and indicates that the Syrians weren’t going to take any chances.
“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” (2 Kings 6:17).
These verses have been a great source of comfort and assurance to believers of all ages. As Romans 8:31b says, “If God is for us, who can be against us?”
To believe the impossible one must first see the invisible – the lesson Elisha taught his servant. There was war between Israel and Syria, and the prophet Elisha was informing his people of the enemy’s tactics through prophetic insight:
“And one of his servants said, “None, my lord. O King, but Elisha, the prophet, who is in Israel, tells the King of Israel the words that you speak in your bedroom” (2 Kings 6:12)
Prayer is the key to discerning our adversary’s strategies; the key to dispelling Elisha’s servant’s panic was his vision being opened to see the invisible. Elisha didn’t just ask God to show his servant another miracle, he asked for his servant to see into another dimension!
Victorious faithful praying is the key to discerning spiritual issues from God’s perspective rather than Man’s; seeing the adversary’s attack plan and perceiving God’s angelic strike force as we continue to “watch and pray,” as Jesus commanded us to do in these last days and as the great Old Testament prophets did thousands of years ago.
“So it was, when they had come to Samaria, that Elisha said, ‘Lord, open the eyes of these men that they may see.’ And the Lord opened their eyes, and they saw; and there they were inside Samaria. Now when the King of Israel saw them, he said to Elisha, ‘My father, shall I kill them? Shall I kill them?’ But he answered, ‘You shall not kill them.
Would you kill those whom you have taken captive with your sword and bow? Set food and water before them, that they may eat and drink and go to their master.’ Then he prepared a great feast for them; and after they ate and drank, he sent them away and they went to their master. So the bands of Syrian raiders came no more into the land of Israel” (2 Kings 6:21-23).
This treatment of the enemy demonstrated Israel’s confidence in God as their protector and was a move toward establishing peaceful relations between Israel and Syria.
Pray for the peace of Jerusalem!