While hope is unseen (Rom 8:24), it is nonetheless a powerful force, dramatically impacting our lives in many ways. Where would we be without the power of the unseen?
We pray to “the invisible God” (Col. 1:15) who operates behind the scenes to accomplish His sovereign will. When pressed by life’s difficulties, like the psalmist, we lift our eyes to the hills from whence comes our help. Our “help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth” (Psa. 121:1-2). The help we seek is as real as any deliverance we might see with our eyes; for we “walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Cor. 5:7).
This lesson is powerfully reinforced in the colorful life of Elisha, the prophet. When the king of Aram was warring against Israel, Elisha repeatedly sent word to the king of Israel, warning him about the specific plans of his enemy. When the king of Aram learned that it was Elisha who was providing such warning, he sent an army of horses and chariots to surround the city where the prophet was staying. When Elisha’s attendant rose early and saw their situation, he was choked with panic and cried out to his master. Elisha calmly replied, “Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them” (2 Kgs. 6:16). Then Elisha prayed for his servant, saying, “O Lord, I pray, open his eyes that he may see.” And, the Lord answered his prayer, opening the eyes of his servant who looked again and beheld “a mountain…full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha” (vs. 17).
Similarly, John exhorts Christians who are battling to overcome the world, saying, “greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world” (1 Jn. 4:4). He goes on to tell us that faith is the victory that overcomes the world (1 Jn. 5:4). Faith “is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen” (Heb. 11:1). Our faith in the power of an invisible God leads to eternal victory in Christ Jesus our Lord.
–Glen Elliott–