Troubles come in herds. In his book, Angels, Billy Graham told about a missionary and his wife who found themselves surrounded by enemies who wanted to kill them. Do you ever feel like you are surrounded? How do you pray when you feel like you cannot win?
In Dothan, Elisha and his servant found themselves surrounded by enemy armies. The servant feared for their lives. Elisha prayed for God to open his eyes so that he might see the hills full of horses and chariots of fire, protecting them. When he saw the armies of God, he knew they would be ok. Then Elisha asked God to strike the enemy army with blindness. After God answered his prayer, he led them into the capital city of the northern kingdom of Israel, Samaria. The king of Israel wasn’t sure what to do when his enemies were suddenly delivered into his hands. Should he kill them? No. Elisha advised him to feed his enemies. Then they returned home and stopped attacking Israel.
Don’t we love these glimpses of grace in the stories of the Old Testament? God protects his servants and then teaches them to feed their enemies. In Graham’s book, the group surrounding the missionaries never attacked. Later, when the natives were converted, the missionaries asked them, “Why didn’t you attack us?” The chief answered, “We saw the bright shining soldiers protecting you.” Sometimes God opens eyes and sometimes he closes them. But we are never out of his care. We fight our battles on our knees. Our God cannot fail. He must prevail. When troubles come in herds, trust God!
