4 Oct: The Angels Beside Us
Open his eyes, Lord, so that he may see. 2 Kings 6:17
Today’s Scripture: 2 Kings 6:15–17
When Lisa first read the verse on the card she’d received—“Then the Lord opened the servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha” (2 Kings 6:17)—she shook her head. This can’t be for me, she thought. I have cancer. I’ve just lost a baby. What do angel armies have to do with that?
But then, God’s “angels” began to appear. Cancer survivors came alongside her with listening ears and understanding hearts. Her husband was unexpectedly released early from his overseas military duty. Friends surrounded her in prayer. Yet the moment that most revealed God’s presence was when her friend Patty showed up, set two boxes of tissues on the table, and began to cry. Patty had walked the same painful road of miscarriage. She didn’t need to say much—she simply knew.
“That meant more than anything,” Lisa recalls. Suddenly the verse made sense: she had been surrounded by “angel soldiers” all along.
When Elisha’s servant panicked at the sight of Israel’s enemies, Elisha prayed that God would open his eyes. And God did—revealing an unseen army of protection surrounding them (verses 15–17).
In our darkest moments, we too may feel abandoned, unable to see what God is doing. Yet when we look to God, our crisis will show us what truly matters and that we’re not alone. We learn that God’s comforting presence never leaves us. He shows us His love in infinitely surprising ways..
By: Asher Christman
Go deeper on: The Angels Beside Us
Reflect & Pray
What’s your first reaction when you receive bad news? When you endured a crisis, how did you view God in new ways?
Loving God, thank You for the complete reliability of Your presence. Open my eyes so that I may see You in a new way today.