Lord, Teach Us To Pray! Part 217

Prayers of the Old Testament
The Prayer of Elisha continued...

There are countless individuals walking about today who are both barren and unfruitful, fully assured in themselves that it is well with their soul and with their spiritual health. They are so convinced not because the Bible told them, but because some guy belonging to some denomination insisted that the Word of God was subject to interpretation, and though it clearly says something different, we can pretend it says what we want it to say.

In order to understand just how horrible a thing it is for a child of God to be barren and unfruitful, we must go back to the Word of God and discover what becomes of an unfruitful tree, or a tree which refuses to produce fruit.

Luke 3:9, “And even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees. Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.”

This is the end result of those who do not mature in Christ; those who do not grow from grace to grace and faith to faith, who having been purged from their old sins continue to remain in a state of spiritual blindness, apathy, impotence and atrophy. God plants us in His garden so we might produce good fruit. Being fruitful is not optional, it is not contingent on whether we have time for it or not, we either bear good fruit, or are cut down and thrown into the fire.

The spiritually blind among God’s people cannot see the consequences of fruitlessness as they are, and so they squander the time they’ve been given, and continue to put off being fruitful until it’s too late. When the ax has swung, and the root has been severed, it’s already too late.

When our eyes are opened it is a given that we will see more than what we had seen up until then. When God opens our eyes and we are able to peer beyond the veil of the physical into the realm of the supernatural, it changes our entire outlook, and gives us a new courage and a new boldness as we journey toward eternity.

Hoping God is with us is very different than seeing His armies encamped around us, ready to defend us and do battle on our behalf.

Elisha prayed and his servant’s eyes were opened. From that moment forward we see this servant neither fearful nor apprehensive, because he now saw what the man of God had been seeing all along.

If you are fearful for tomorrow, if you are doubtful of God’s presence in your life, pray for God to open your eyes to the reality surrounding you.

Oftentimes we get so caught up in praying for other people’s eyes to be opened that we forget to pray for our own eyes to be opened. It is good and noble and godly to be concerned about others, but we must not forget, we must also work out our own salvation with fear and trembling.

If fear is creeping up on you, if you are beginning to question whether God can get you through a certain predicament, then pray for yourself as Elisha prayed for his servant, and you will see the shift in perception necessary to understand just how many angels have been dispatched on your behalf.

When we see the extent to which God goes to protect us, we also come to realize our true value and worth in God’s eyes.

The horses and chariots of fire are not exclusive to Elisha and those who are called to greater service, but to all the children of God, all who have been saved, sanctified, and cleansed by the power of the blood of Christ Jesus.

How did I come to this conclusion?

By understanding the beautiful truth that God is no respecter of persons. God does not esteem one servant above another, and so if the chariots and horses of fire were present in defense of Elisha, they will likewise be present in defense of you and I when and if the time comes.

We all need spiritual insight, and when we receive it is as important as that we receive it. Everyone eventually learns of the reality of the spiritual world, but for some it will be too late. It is while we have breath, while we are still animated and have life coursing through us that we must pray – and diligently so – for God to open our eyes so we might see the spiritual realities surrounding us, and understand how much God does on our behalf in regards to protecting us and keeping us from being vanquished by the enemy.

One glimpse of the chariots of fire, and we will never again doubt God’s ability to keep us, or the extent of His love for those who have denied themselves, picked up their crosses, and followed after His Son Jesus.

There will always be more with us than there are with them. We will always be in the majority even if in the physical the opposite is true. The world cannot see, therefore the world mocks. We, the children of God can see, and so we rejoice in Him, praise His name, and worship Him. His faithfulness abides, it remains ever true, and just as the hosts of heaven defended and protected Elisha and his servant, they stand at the ready to do the same on our behalf.

With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.