THE INVISIBLE MAJORITY

"Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them."

- 2 Kings 6:16

Six books of the Bible give us a detailed history of the kings of Israel and Judah.  Of these six books, 2 Kings remains my favorite.  The book of 2 Kings opens with the final years of Elijah's ministry and quickly moves to the dynamic ministry of Elisha.  The book concludes with a historical record of several kings and the nature of their reign.

The ministry of Elisha is my favorite part of 2 Kings.  Elisha was a mighty man of God.  The Lord used him during a time of great apostasy and sin.  Kings feared and hated him because he would boldly pronounce God's judgment on their sin. 

The King of Syria became upset when he learned that Elisha was receiving inside information from God.  God would reveal to Elisha details about the Syrian military strategy.  Elisha would then tell the king of Israel who used the information to bring disaster on the Syrian army. 

When the king of Syria learned this, he sent his army to stop Elisha.  As the Syrian army surrounded Elisha, his servant got anxious and said, "Alas, my master!  how shall we do?" (2 Kings 6:15).

I must confess that often I have been like Elisha's servant.  There have been times that I've only looked at situations from a worldly viewpoint.  How easy it is to look at the visible and forget the things that are invisible.  It is simple to concentrate on the temporal and overlook the eternal.  It is easy to focus on the problems of man rather than the promises of God.

Elisha responded to his servant by saying, "Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them."  Furthermore, Elisha prayed that the eyes of his servant would be opened to see the invisible army that was available to help them.  When the servant's eyes were opened, he saw that the mountain was covered with a mighty army sent to assist Elisha.

                       

Elisha saw things by faith.  His servant only saw things by sight.  These days it is easy to be consumed and overwhelmed by the evil of our land.  Things seem hopeless to us.  We scramble to find human solutions for the problems of this world.  However, human solutions will never resolve the deep, complex issue of sin.  Only God can do this.

Lest we be overcome with fear and doubt, I think we should learn some things from Elisha's observation.

1.  LIVE BY FAITH, NOT BY FEAR

First of all, Elisha said, "Fear not..."  Believers should not be living in fear.  We are called to live by faith.  The focus of our faith needs to be on God.  We should have no confidence in politics, promises and programs.  Our hope is in the person and work of Jesus Christ.  Our confidence and trust is in Him alone.

2.  LIVE ON PROMISES, NOT IN PANIC

We have the promise that God is with us all the time (see Matthew 28:20 and Hebrews 13:5).  Christians should live on the promises of God. 

I believe that Elisha's servant was in panic mode, don't you?  Yet Elisha was calm in spite of overwhelming bad news.  Elisha knew that God would fight for him.  Do you have such confidence?

3.  LIVE WITH ASSURANCE, NOT WITH ANXIETY

Elisha said, "... they that be with us are more than they that be with them."  Elisha had assurance that the host of the Lord was far greater in number and power than the Syrian army.

Back in 1980, Jerry Falwell began a conservative movement called, "The Moral Majority."  Today, the forces of evil seem to have overrun our country.  The majority seems to be immoral, ungodly and aggressive.  Christian persecution is beginning in our country, often with the approval of our courts.  To the ungodly host, it seems as though they are in the majority.  The reality is that the host of the Lord vastly outnumbers the forces of evil.  A third of the angels may have fallen along with Lucifier, but that leaves God with two angels for every demon the devil has.  Furthermore, God alone stands with greater power than all other beings combined. 

Think for just a moment.  If you are a follower of Jesus, the Holy Spirit dwells within you, the Son of God is praying for you, and the Father is watching over you.  The angel of the Lord encamps around you.  You are not alone in the fight.  For just a short period of time, the devil and his followers have limited power.  God has the ultimate power and will have the final say-so. 

We don't have to live in fear.  We don't have to stay in panic mode.  Anxiety doesn't have to rule our lives.  God is in control.  Because He is in control, we can comfort other believers with Elisha's words, "Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them."