Awareness
Training to See More Than Meets the Eye
Read 2 Kings 6:8-22
Now the king of Aram was at war with Israel. After conferring with his officers, he said, “I will set up my camp in such and such a place.”
The man of God sent word to the king of Israel: “Beware of passing that place, because the Arameans are going down there.” So the king of Israel checked on the place indicated by the man of God. Time and again Elisha warned the king, so that he was on his guard in such places.
This enraged the king of Aram. He summoned his officers and demanded of them, “Tell me! Which of us is on the side of the king of Israel?”
“None of us, my lord the king,” said one of his officers, “but Elisha, the prophet who is in Israel, tells the king of Israel the very words you speak in your bedroom.”
“Go, find out where he is,” the king ordered, “so I can send men and capture him.” The report came back: “He is in Dothan.” Then he sent horses and chariots and a strong force there. They went by night and surrounded the city.
When the servant of the man of God got up and went out early the next morning, an army with horses and chariots had surrounded the city. “Oh no, my lord! What shall we do?” the servant asked.
“Don’t be afraid,” the prophet answered. “Those who are with us are morethan those who are with them.”
And Elisha prayed, “Open his eyes, Lord, so that he may see.” 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.
As the enemy came down toward him, Elisha prayed to the Lord, “Strike this army with blindness.” So he struck them with blindness, as Elisha had asked.
Elisha told them, “This is not the road and this is not the city. Follow me, and I will lead you to the man you are looking for.” And he led them to Samaria.
After they entered the city, Elisha said, “Lord, open the eyes of these men so they can see.” Then the Lord opened their eyes and they looked, and there they were, inside Samaria.
When the king of Israel saw them, he asked Elisha, “Shall I kill them, my father? Shall I kill them?”
“Do not kill them,” he answered. “Would you kill those you have capturedwith your own sword or bow? Set food and water before them so that they may eat and drink and then go back to their master.”
Elisha is a prophet. Prophets listen for the voice of God, and help bring people close to the heart of God. At this point in the story, Israel is in a conflict with the Arameans, and they’re outmatched. However, God is actually telling Elisha the enemy’s battle plans. That keeps Israel one step ahead, and the King of Aram is convinced there’s a spy in his army. The king realizes he’s not dealing with a spy, he’s dealing with a prophet— and now he’s out to get Elisha.
The Aramean army surrounds the city, intent on trapping Elisha. The text says,
“When the servant of the man of God got up and went out early the next morning, an army with horses and chariots had surrounded the city. “Oh no, my lord! What shall we do?” the servant asked.
“Don’t be afraid,” the prophet answered. “Those who are with us are morethan those who are with them.”
And Elisha prayed, “Open his eyes, Lord, so that he may see.” 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 6:15-17 NIV).
The king saw Elisha as a threat, and out of that fear, he pulled out all the stops to get rid of him. But the thing is, even if he did capture Elisha, he’d never be able to trap God. The king focused on what he could see with his eyes, but Elisha and his servant saw more. Elisha prayed for his servant’s eyes to be opened to see a fuller picture of reality, and he did. In light of all those horses and chariots of fire, the Aramean army didn’t look so terrible.
So we need to ask ourselves: where are we looking? And how are we looking?
We need to ask God to open our spiritual eyes so we can see the world like he does. The Apostle Paul prayed like this all the time. In Ephesians he writes,
“I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe.” (Ephesians 1:18-19a NIV).
When our eyes are open, we can see God’s love and his power at work in the world, right here among us. God is with us, and he’s fighting for us. Too often we see one without the other, but we can’t separate them.
As disciples, we must learn to see everything through Jesus; the good and the
bad. We live with confidence that God is making things right—no matter how things look on the surface. Disciples see hope where everyone else sees a lost cause. We see beauty in the ugliest places. We have a fuller perspective of what’s going on. Our sight and perspective motivate us to live by faith, not fear. We understand more than what meets the eye, because we see everything in light of Jesus. We see sunsets, work, play, people, social media, art, war, and our breakfast cereal through Jesus.
Disciples experience everything through Jesus. He is here and we know it.
God is everywhere— but that doesn’t mean we always see him. If we want to see what God is doing, we’re going to need to put our whole lives into it. Jeremiah 29:13 says, “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” Here is the key: we often pray and ask God to show up, but the fact is, he is already here to be found. God gives us a wide-open invitation.
If we don’t hold anything back, he won’t either.
We want God to help us with the battles all around us— we want him to show us what he’s doing, and take care of it all for us. We want God to be our protector. If someone is against us, we want God to work in their life and reveal the truth to them so they can have a change of heart— but we don’t always invite God to change our hearts first. How often do we seek divine help, without actively submitting ourselves to God?
You see, if we want God to take care of all the things going on around us, we’re going to need to let him take care of what’s going on in our own hearts. If we want God to guide us as we navigate the everyday circumstances of life, and we want him to fix what’s going wrong in the world, we need to first listen when he tells us what’s wrong with us. That’s the deal. When we can’t see God or hear what he’s saying, we are quick to say he’s distant and silent— when really, we’re the ones far away and closed off to what’s happening.
If we want some of God’s help, but not all of it, if we’re holding anything back— something is in the way between us and Jesus. We can’t see clearly until we hand it over. We can’t ask God to help us see what to do about something outside ourselves if we want to stay blind to what’s going on within us. It just doesn’t work that way.
Perhaps we only see a little because we’re only surrendering a little.
Remember: we will seek God and find him when we seek him with all our hearts. If we want God to show up in our lives, we have to want to see everything he has to show us.
In a way, our level of God-awareness is linked to our desire for self-awareness. We say we want to hear God’s voice, but do we really want to hear everything he has to say?
Disciples live connected to Jesus and they know it; Jesus is not only near us, but with us. As we submit ourselves to God, his light wins over our lives. Jesus has always been present, but we haven’t always seen him. He has always been speaking, but we haven’t always heard his voice. God is here to be found. We don’t need to seek mountaintop experiences to see and hear him. In fact, we experience God most easily within the events of our everyday lives.
PRACTICE
In his book, Hearing God, Dallas Willard writes, “God is not looking for a holy place. Places are holy because God is there”. This place where you are, right now, is a holy place. God is here, and he’s eager to meet with you. Are you eager to meet with him? Are you willing to see everything he has to show you?
How do you need your eyes opened to God’s presence in your life? Here are some prompts to ask yourself that can guide you to that answer. Consider these questions and journal your responses to them. Remember, this is a practice, not a test. If you’re not certain about a particular answer, offer a guess.
1. What direct actions have you taken this week in response to God? What were the results?
2. How is God speaking to you through other people this week? How did you respond?
3. What important thing are you putting off today? Why do you avoid it?
4. Who needs more than you are giving today?
5. Does any part of you resist rest? What parts of you are uncomfortable just being with God? Why?
6. What burden is Jesus asking you to surrender? What gift does he have to replace it? Do you want it?
7. When was your last moment of true joy? What produced that joy, and how can you pursue that today?
Complete the Practice
Consider these prompts and send your responses to your discipler to complete the practice.
Name one thing God wanted you to hear through this practice today.
Name at least one thing you will do about it.