Believing is Seeing

MPP: "Fear not, for the Lord is with us."

seeing and knowing God's protection.

Introduction:

Two weeks ago, I was suddenly admitted to NUH with stomach pain and had to stay there for the entire week. It was my first time to experience the constant pain for the whole night. It is so discouraged as the semester is going to end; all the papers and exams are right around the corner, and I am ready to go back to Bangkok very soon for the semester break. Many things are waiting for me in Bangkok.

Physically I see this illness as one threatening my life, but the Lord opened my eyes to see His protection and provision through the cares and genuine love expressed in the community of faith at TTC, SPH and from the church. So I humbly received it with the grateful heart. Indeed my life is in God's hand.

During the hospitalisation, I was calm and composed as the small comforting voice speaks to me. "Fear not, for the Lord is with me." seeing and knowing God's protection.

Trouble in the Text:

The young servant sees the Syrian army and fearful of them.

In this chapter, Elisha lived with his community of prophets in Dothan, eighteen kilometers north of Samaria. The fame of Elisha gradually increased in the prophetic ministry. We can see from the previous chapter, even a little captive Israelites girl in Syria knew his reputation. Though Elisha lived in the time when Israel was steeped in idolatry, the Israel king who is anonymous in this chapter still believed in his prophecies. Elisha continues to be faithful to his prophetic ministry calling. Moreover, this ministry leads him into the service for his country during one of several wars between Syria and Israel. Elisha is a welcome visitor in Israel king’s court as the king's counselor.

This guerrilla warfare was deliberately started by the Syrian king, without provocation, and Israel had to take up arms in self-defense.

The Syrian king's heart was so troubled when he knew that Israelites had a God who knew all things, who could see through shut doors and read the secret thoughts of men's hearts. This God had a prophet, Elisha, whom He revealed what the enemies of Israel were going to do.

In verse 12 "...Elisha, the prophet who is in Israel, tells the king of Israel the words that you speak in your bedroom."

When Elisha serves the Lord in His calling, It does not mean that there will be a smooth sailing journey. The enemies will do everything to stop Elisha from his obedience to God's calling.

Instead of discontinuing his warfare plan, for he knew that it is against this God. How determine the human will can become when it refuses all God's gentle appeals and warnings and insists on trying to fight God Himself? He hardened his heart, and now he wanted to get rid of Elisha, the prophet, the man of God. What he had might think that his warfare will be a success if he could get rid of Elisha. Now the attack turned to the man of God who serves the Lord faithfully in his calling into the prophetic ministry.

The Syrian king sent out the armies and surrounded the city of Dothan in an attempt to capture only one person, Elisha, the man of God. Would Elisha and his friends knew that going into this prophetic ministry according to God's calling might cause their lives.

Elisha and his friends were left alone without Israelites army's protection. Do they have to face this situation alone? Is he going to survive this attack?

The young servant woke up in the morning and found out the surrounded armies, and he responded with fear and panic! It is the life-threatening circumstance.

The young servant was so afraid of the armies. The enemies were at the doorstep. He might think that I should not have followed Elisha who leads me into this trouble. It might be Elisha's fault that brought me this death-threatening.

Also, where is the Almighty God whom Elisha served in this circumstance? At least the enemies succeeded to create fear for this young servant. Verse 15 he cried out in the face of terror to Elisha "Jer-bai Si-Liao," my master! What shall we do?” They are really in deep trouble. They are in crisis.

The young servant is so fearful because he sees only the troubles in front of him. All he can see now is the whole Syrian armies surrounded the city. Do not even think to escape? It is impossible! He is overwhelmed by the troops. Maybe it is the end of the prophetic ministry. It is time to give up the ministry and surrender to the Syrian king.

Trouble in the world:

Minister workers see the challenges in ministry and fearful of them.

Everyone one of us here, as the believers are also under spiritual warfare. The enemies will try very hard to discourage us to obey and follow God's calling. Some of us here might be thinking that our ministry has come to dead end. There is no way out of this particular circumstance. , and the only way out is to give up. If God is calling me into this ministry, then where is God now when I am overwhelming with these problems.

All we can see are problems and challenges ahead, one after the other without end. We are overwhelmed by; personal conflicts, conflict with the senior pastor, conflict with senior pastor's wife, dispute with pastoral workers, or conflict with lay people. Friends, these problems are real.

Some could be facing the division among team members or laity, gossiping, discouraging words or conversation, quarreling between church workers within our team, worries of finance or even on our health and the list can go on and on. One after the other from the list is surrounding us, the same as Syrian armies surrounding Elisha and his young servant.

We are living in days when we need to be watchful, for the enemies are doing their utmost to undermine the confidence of believers in God's calling and ministry.

During the Vietnam war, a missionary from the US came to Thailand. He came with a determination to proclaim the Good news to the Thais and to minister to American soldiers. He rented a piece of land and to build a house. He had the calling from God to build the church on that land, and he was able to secure the funding from the US. A dishonest local contractor, however, used poor quality materials for construction, sabotaging the building plans.

Besides, the missionary’s evangelistic work also did not go well. It is the hard ground. Problems and challenges surrounded him one by one the same as Syrian armies. He was discouraged and decided to discontinue God's calling in ministry to build a church. When our human eyes only see all the problems that surround us, we will be fearful and discouraged. He chose to give up and surrender to the Syrian armies. He returned, disappointed, to his homeland. He gave up the calling.

Where is God in all these circumstances?

Grace in the text:

God protects Elisha and the young servant from the Syrian armies.

From the text, by contrast with the young servant who filled with fear, we see Elisha who acted differently. Both are facing the same crisis. Surely, he already knew of the surrounding armies. It was no surprise to him, but more importantly, Elisha focused on God’s surrounding armies who were greater in strength and numbers. , and he might recite the Psalm of David in his heart, King David who was surrounded by the enemies the same as him.

Psalm 27:1-3.

1The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?

The LORD is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?

2When evildoers assail me to eat up my flesh, my adversaries and foes,

it is they who stumble and fall.

3Though an army encamp against me, my heart shall not fear;

though war arises against me, yet I will be confident.

In all of this, Elisha was calm and confident, not in himself but in His God. He not only saw the problems, but he saw the solution and knew the God of the answer.

In verses 16-17, we learn how Elisha dealt with his young servant’s fear: by addressing personal concern through a word of encouragement, “Do not be afraid,” Elisha gave a reason for it, “for those who are with us are more than those who are with them,” and the game changer secret weapon, by prayer for the illumination, then Elisha prayed and said, ‘O LORD, please open his eyes that he may see.”

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton: Standard Bible Society, 2016), 2 Ki 6:17.

"Fear not, for the Lord is with us."

seeing and knowing God's protection.

The Lord answered Elisha's second prayer, struck the Syrian armies with blindness. Elisha guided them miraculously to Samaria where they were in now the midst of Israelite army.

God is gracious and merciful which expressed through his servant, Elisha. When the Israel king desired revenge with the justified punishment in verse 21 "...shall I strike them down? Shall I strike them down?” It is indeed by the grace of God that Elisha pleaded with the king to be reasonable and to restrain his desire for revenge. He begged for those who were going to kill him at Dothan. Israel king did not kill them; instead, he gave them a great feast and sent them away. Elisha is the amazing man of God, reflecting God's grace through his action. God chose to show grace and mercy even to his enemies. Elisha indeed is the prophet of God who brings blessing and healing.

Dothan is also the place where Joseph's brothers threw him into a pit and sold him to a caravan of Ishmaelites, who take him to Egypt, in Genesis 37. In the darkest hour of Joseph's life, betrayed by his brothers, God is with Joseph. The same God who is with Joseph and protected him is also the same God who is with Elisha and protect him hundreds of years later.

"Fear not, for the Lord is with us."

seeing and knowing God's protection.

Grace in the world:

God protects minister workers whom He calls into ministry.

However, what about us today?

We can not avoid the ups and downs in ministry or even in our life, but we can change the way we see it. Should we see only the physical problems that surround us? Alternatively, should we pray and see what God wants us to see spiritually. Through difficulties and challenges and in God's wisdom, we will come out stronger and wiser.

Through the sickness, threatening my life two weeks ago, I see God's protection. He cares for me, and I see that God guided me in every step during my hospitalization at NUH. I see that "for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.”

Friends, no matter what you are facing right now, you are surrounded by God's protective arm and you are loved. God is with us in the darkest hour in our ministry and our life. He never leaves us alone. Pastorally, we should pray for the illumination for our members to see things spiritually. Too often we don’t take the spiritual warfare seriously. And we go out unprepared spiritually. We see only the troubles and problems surrounding us like the Syrian army, and the enemies want us to respond with fear and tempt us to give up and surrender.

People fail from time to time, but God does not. The grace of God never fails.

The American missionary failed miserably for his mission work in Thailand. God called him to build a church, but he was overwhelming with all the problems and failures. He returned home with failure and disappointment. That plot of land including the house built by the missionary has since changed tenants many times – from Garden International Kindergarten, World Vision Foundation, to Anglican Church in Thailand, which later purchased the land and build an Anglican Church on it.

A few years ago, a senior man came to visit the church. He saw it alive with an active congregation proclaiming God’s love. He could not hold back his joyful tears. He was the American missionary who had experienced disappointments in serving God when he first came to Thailand. I do not know why he came back to see the land again after his retirement. Perhaps there is unresolved in his heart, the mark of his ministry failure.

People fail from time to time, but God does not. The grace of God never fails. God is gracious and merciful. He allows him to come back and experienced the joy for His church. Now, he rejoices and knows that God does not forget the service of His servants.

Friends, whatever problems you are facing today, may the sermon this morning reminds you that, put your hand on your heart and say,

"Fear not, for the Lord is with us" Amen

seeing and knowing God's protection.

Let us turn to our Lord in prayer, Father Lord, we turn to you in pray in every circumstance that we are facing right now. May you open our eyes by the power of the holy spirit, to see your greatness and your protection over those circumstances. Grant us wisdom and peace to go through it. Lord, Grant us, your grace when we fail. I pray in the most precious name, our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.