Pastor’s Column 7/27/2025

PASTOR’S COLUMN

15 “When the servant of the man of God got up early the next morning and went outside, there were troops, horses, and chariots everywhere. “Oh, sir, what will we do now? The young man cried to Elisha. 16  “Don’t be afraid!” Elisha told him. “For there are more on our side than on theirs!”

2 Kings 6: 15-16, NLT                                    

“Finding God Around Us!”

A crisis moment in any of our lives could induce fear  and alarm. The old Christian hymn, “What A Fellowship,”  invokes the assurance that when we “lean” on the Lord, we’re “safe and secure from all alarm.” While this is true, the immediacy of a dilemma does not always allow us to think that way instantly. It isn’t that we don’t believe we’re safe when God is near, it’s our human response that initially cause us to act in panic mode. We can hardly blame Gehazi, the assistant of the Prophet Elisha, for being very alarmed when the first sight he encountered one morning upon awakening from sleep, was the presence of a vast army of Arameanspoised to attack Israel. We can only imagine, as the prophet’s assistant peered out the window his heart fluttered, and his eyes saw only terror. Sometimes despite our faith, what we experience initially in a vexing situation is fear. Our human instinct triggers deep apprehension, as a response to what we may perceive to be overwhelming. Elisha asked his trusted assistant, “What do you see?” Gehazi honestly reported what he witnessed. He wanted to know what their plan was. Elisha knew God had another scenario for that moment. The prophet told Gehazi not to be afraid. He said there were “more on our side than on theirs.” Elisha prayed to God that his assistant’s eyes would be opened. It was then, Gehazi looked again and saw the “hillside around Eisha  filled with horses and chariots of fire.” It is our abiding faith in God and our willingness to envision our trials from a godly perspective that we can conquer our fears. Sometimes God places help around us, even when life’s challenges are facing us. God never leaves us!