PerryDox – BeJustAChristian

Have you have heard the story of missionaries being saved by an angelic band? It takes various forms but they all have similarities: The murderous, native wretches are scared away by a visible – to them only – guard of armed angelic soldiers; while Christians are praying. One story has 26 protectors, another says hundreds. One form is in Billy Graham’s Angels: God’s Secret Agents. Another is in Touch the World through Prayer. Snopes investigates and concludes with this derisive denunciation: “The Christian commandment about not bearing false witness just isn’t getting the mileage it used to.”

There is a Biblical origin to these claims (2 Kings 6.8-23). There is war between Aram and Israel. The king of Israel is the evil Joram, son of Ahab and Jezebel. And yet God shows grace by giving Elisha “intel” on the enemy’s movements. God’s spy is discovered; the invading army surrounds Elisa in the city of Dothan, with horses and chariots, to capture him. His servant is in woe, “Oh, my master, what are we to do?” (6.15). The prophet replies, “Don’t be afraid, for those who are with us outnumber those who are with them” (6.16). Then Elisha prays, “LORD, please open his eyes and let him see” (6.17). He looked and saw that the mountain was covered with horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. I don’t know what Scopes would do with this claim.

What do I do about such modern claims? Nothing. I have never had such a dramatic experience, but I have an experience I believe was angelic. Concerning angels, the Holy Spirit rhetorically asks, “Are they not all ministering spirits sent out to serve those who are going to inherit salvation?” (Heb 1.14). When feeding a homeless person, my mother said based upon Hebrews 13.2, “Who knows, maybe we are feeding an angel.” Are there guardian angels? Those who disagree argue if there were, then why do bad things happen to good people? If that disproves their existence, then it also disproves the existence of God! Let’s refocus this issue. Does God answer prayers today? Yes. Do we know all the ways that God uses to answer prayers? No. Does God protect us today according to His will? Yes. Do we know all the ways that God uses? Again, no.

Such a dramatic event can blind us to a valuable textual and practical lesson. Elisha prays for the enemy to be blinded (6.18). Then Elisha leads the blind men into Israel’s capital city, Samaria, to be captured. He prays again, “LORD, open these men’s eyes and let them see” (6.20). Joram is willing to and wants to kill his enemy. Elisha tells him to feed them instead; and afterwards, the king sets them free. This results in the marauding Arameans never again coming into Israel’s land (6:21-23). Was their absence fear of Elisha’s God? Maybe, but one of the great ways that God protects us from our enemies and ourselves is by us treating them better than they treat us.

Prayer Challenge: Pray for God to open our eyes to His will and word. Pray for God’s help, without limiting God. Pray to love and help our enemies.

Tags: Prayer, Praying through the Bible

This entry was posted by PHall on Thursday, January 23rd, 2014 at 3:26 pm and is filed under II Kings. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.