Ivan: Hello, Blogging Family! This picture was taken at Prague Castle, from Grace’s and my trip to Central Europe last month. Many cities we visited boasted medieval palaces or fortresses built on the surrounding hills. This is because hills offer prime views of the area for both defense and recreation.

What we see matters. Our perspective shapes our thoughts, feelings, and actions. One of my favorite Bible stories, 2 Kings 6:8-23, illustrates this truth powerfully.

Here, the prophet Elisha and his servant find themselves completely surrounded by a hostile army. The servant, understandably, panics: “Alas, my master! What shall we do?”

Elisha’s response is incredible:

 He said, “Do not be afraid, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” Then Elisha prayed and said, “O Lord, please open his eyes that he may see.” So the Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw, and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.

2 Kings 6:16-17

Elisha’s servant only saw the physical army, which signaled their imminent death. However, Elisha saw Heaven’s spiritual army, which revealed the power and presence of the Lord God Almighty. Imagine how Elisha’s servant must have felt when his spiritual eyes were opened and he saw rank upon rank of “horses and chariots of fire” surrounding him and Elisha. There couldn’t be a sharper reversal to his previous perspective.

If we believe this earthly life is all there is – that there is no God, Heaven, or Hell – we will live a certain way. We will maximize power and pleasure and function as if we are the center of the universe. Sadly, this path ultimately leads to our ruin and causes us to hurt those around us rather than bless them.

God’s path – God’s perspective – is so much better. If we humbly align our perspective with His, we will realize that we were made for so much more than physical subsistence. We were made to know God, worshiping Him and enjoying Him forever.

“From then on Jesus began to preach, ‘Repent of your sins and turn to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near.'” (Matthew 4:17)

Grace: As I consider this story, it seems unlikely Elisha would choose a servant who wasn’t also committed to following the Lord. And so when I read about his panicked reaction to the Assyrian army, my heart is moved with compassion for someone who loved God enough to assist a prophet in a kingdom that was rampant with idolatry. In other words, this man was probably aware that serving Elisha – and by extension God himself – would likely require him to put his life on the line at some point. But when that moment finally arrived, he lost sight of how faithful and powerful God had proven himself, not just to Israel in previous generations, but more recently to Elisha’s predecessor, Elijah.

If I’m being honest, when I read this story, I see myself. While I haven’t been called to risk my life for the gospel thus far, Jesus calls each of us to take up our cross daily and follow him (Luke 9:23). In my own life, I’ve seen him sustain me powerfully through intense trials over the years, especially physical ones. Nevertheless, when I encounter emotional pain, I can lose sight of his past love and faithfulness and be tempted to function like what I see in front of me is all there is. And this “functional blindness” is the difference between continuing to walk by the Spirit and temporarily falling back into old patterns from which Jesus died to set us all free (Rom. 8:6).

Knowing the specific trials and triggers that tempt us back toward functional blindness is an important part of the battle. However, as we see in this story, God also often uses the encouragement and intercession of others to remove spiritual blinders that we no longer notice. May he spur us on to this gracious ministry in each other’s lives, and continue revealing to all of us how he is always there, surrounding us with his glorious, almighty presence!