Trusting God in Panic (2)

II Kings 6:13-18

Welcome to Mountain View Baptist Church. What a blessing to have each of you here today. If this is your first time here, welcome. We are delighted to have you in attendance today. Thank you for being in God’s House today. Please stop by our welcome center so we might better connect with you.

Our theme for the year has been Fortify the Family. In the month of August we are looking at Peace in the Storms. What is it that makes you panic? Panic is caused by intense stress, major life events or specific phobias. There are many things that can cause panic. Phobias like Money, mice, rats, snakes, spiders, money-running out, debt, sudden loss, debt, health matters-trauma, cancer, stroke, heart attack either yourself or someone near you. Fear of heights or closed spaces are very real.

Fear of safety as here in this case.  How would you feel if you woke up and your house was surrounded by an army of soldiers ready to kill you?

A panic attack is a sudden episode of intense fear that triggers severe physical reactions when there is no real danger or apparent cause. Panic attacks can be very frightening. When panic attacks occur, you might think you're losing control, having a heart attack or even dying.

Many people have just one or two panic attacks in their lifetimes, and the problem goes away, perhaps when a stressful situation ends.

In the story we just read, th next morning the servant of Elisha was terrified to see that the whole city was under the Arameans’s control or so he thought. He came to Elisha panicking and asked what shall we do? The servant’s panic reflected his lack of understanding and trust in God . Elisha was not disturbed by the present condition. Elisha encouraged him to stop panicking because God has a superior force to overcome the enemy. He asked God to give him the ability to see what God had in store for them.

BIG IDEA: Though surrounded by challenges, God's unseen presence is our ultimate defense. We might face what seems insurmountable, but with the spiritual vision, we can see that God’s presence is our ultimate fortress.

God gives us three major insights into our understanding of how we get through the things that would cause us to panic.

Insight 1. . .

The surprising siege

There are often unexpected and surprising events and circumstances that come into our lives. These uncontrollable events occur and bring panic. It happens to families like one Wednesday night on July 29th when three people were killed on Yucca Loma and Apple Valley. The mother showed up on the scene to find her daughter was one of the fatalities.

Background and Context-Battle of Dunkirk

German Advance: In May 1940, Nazi Germany used fast blitzkrieg tactics to invade France and the Low Countries.

Trapped Allies: British and French armies were cut off and pushed back against the sea at the French port of Dunkirk.

No Alternative: With Belgium surrendering on May 28, an escape across the water became the only option to avoid total destruction.

Operation Dynamo

The Rescue Plan: Codenamed Operation Dynamo, the Imperial War Museums coordinated a massive sea rescue starting May 26, 1940.

The Little Ships: Because the beaches were too shallow for big warships, hundreds of civilian fishing boats, yachts, and pleasure craft joined naval vessels to ferry soldiers.

Air Support: The British Royal Air Force (RAF) fought fiercely above the beaches to protect the men from German bombers. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]

Results and Impact

Troops Saved: Exactly 338,226 Allied soldiers (nearly 198,000 British and 140,000 French/Belgian) made it safely to England. [1, 2]

Heavy Losses: The army left behind almost all of its heavy tanks, vehicles, and equipment, and tens of thousands of French soldiers were captured when the port fell on June 4, 1940. [1]

Morale Boost: Called the "Miracle of Dunkirk," the successful escape saved Britain's trained soldiers and kept the hope to fight on alive.

Intent on capturing Elisha, the king of Syria sends an entire army, underscoring how spiritual strength often leads adversaries to rely on overwhelming force. Elisha embodies the power of aligned spiritual conviction, which can't be captured or subdued by mere numbers.

Psalm 27:3 “Though an host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear: Though war should rise against me, in this will I be confident.” Isaiah 54:17 “No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; And every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, And their righteousness is of me, saith the Lord.”

God is showing us we need His perspective when things that make us panic. These unexpected difficulties will cause us to panic in our flesh because we have lost control of the circumstances.

The servant’s reaction reveals our natural response when faith is weak.

Insight 2 . . .

The antidote to fear v.16

It is highly possible to allow our fears to overtake us. The cycle of fear and fretting brings a strengthening of fear. The only possible weapon to defeat fear is faith in the Lord. Notice here Elisha prayed to God to open his eyes in v. 17 and when he did, he saw the massive armies of God.

In verse 17, the mountains were full of horses and chariots of fire from God. When you have faith to see God in your panic situations, God will show you His power through the challenges.

Christian joy in difficult times emerges from a fundamentally different way of perceiving reality. Rather than focusing on immediate pain, believers are called to redirect their perspective toward “total joy”1—not by denying hardship, but by viewing trials through the lens of God’s redemptive purposes. This doesn’t dismiss the reality or severity of trials; rather, it points to blessings beyond the immediate pain.

Joy functions as a divine perspective that anchors Christians to Christ so that, regardless of circumstances, their confidence in God remains unmoved.2 This grounding in Christ’s person explains why believers can glory in tribulation itself, knowing that suffering produces patience (Romans 5:3–5 “And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; And patience, experience; and experience, hope: And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.” which in turn develops hope and deepens assurance of God’s love. Joy is fundamentally an attitude toward life rooted in faith and trust in the sovereign God revealed through Christ’s death and resurrection.

Believe God and and He will send away your fears. The servant's cry of distress, "Alas, my master! how shall we do?" (v.15) reflects a heart consumed by visible threats. Yet, Elisha’s presence and calmness become a vessel for divine reassurance. - **Original Language:** The Hebrew "Alas" captures a sense of desperation and urgency. This reveals the gap between reactive fear and proactive faith.

Joshua 1:9 “Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.”

C.S. Lewis wrote, "Courage is not simply one of the virtues, but the form of every virtue at the testing point," reflecting that faith under trial becomes courage. Face your personal challenges this week by developing a practice of prayer that aligns your perspective with God's promises.