Truth Behind The Scenes

Truth Behind the Scenes

Then Elisha prayed, “O LORD, open his eyes and let him see!” 2 Kings 6:17

ELISHA’S SERVANT HAD ONLY SEEN the troops, horses, and chariots of the enemy coming against him and his unarmed master. But when Elisha prayed for God to open the young man’s eyes, he suddenly saw a vast army of horses and chariots of fire, an altogether different sort of power. Where the young servant might have prayed desperately for survival (if he had gotten that far in his panic), he could now think in terms of total victory. His entire mood and perspective changed.

Often our prayer is for God to grant the things we have asked for. We have our eyes fixed on the problem and our hopes fixed on a solution. But better focus precedes that outcome-centered prayer. A higher priority is to pray that God would open our eyes and let us see—that our faith would be strong before visible answers come. If faith is the “reality of what we hope for,” the evidence and assurance of what remains unseen (Hebrews 11:1), then it’s really important to have faith up front. Otherwise prayer will feel (and often be) powerless. A lot is riding on our vision.

Human nature defaults to relying on what we see. Faith comes through a changed nature that defaults to the real story behind the scenes. Even if we aren’t sure what that story is yet, we know it’s there, and we can go searching for it. We can ask God to reveal it. We can pray for our eyes to open so we can see it. Then we establish ourselves in that spiritual vision and live in defiance of the natural one. We cannot live the life of faith while being focused on what the rest of the world calls reality. We can only live it by stripping away the surface view and unveiling what’s behind it.

Practice the art of envisioning the help that is on your side. Ask God for revelations of it—insights and assurances of the help that is there and the solution he wants to provide. Train your eyes to see behind the scenes from the start. Great victories are won for, by, and through people who have stationed themselves in the realm where real power lies.

Faith is the sight of the inward eye.