The Truth Is —

Then the king sent horses, chariots, and many troops to Dothan. They arrived at night and surrounded the city.

Elisha’s servant got up early, and when he went out, he saw an army with horses and chariots all around the city. The servant said to Elisha, “Oh, my master, what can we do?”

Elisha said, “Don’t be afraid. The army that fights for us is larger than the one against us.”            2 Kings 6:14-16 (NCV)

What is going on in your life? On a scale of 1 to 10, how much pain are you in? How “stressed” are you about your job and finances? Your children? Are you and your spouse going through a rough seasons and can’t seem to communicate the way you used to? Are your parents ill, even dying? Is your child sick? Or maybe you have received bad test results?

“Oh, my LORD, what can we do?”

Death. Divorce. Sickness. More death. Financial pressures. There were months, even years when it seemed like “Oh, my LORD, what can we do?” is the only prayer I seemed to be able to say. I didn’t see anything past the “horses and chariots” that were surrounding me. I only knew that everything I read in the Bible, everything that I knew in my spirit, and everything that I had already experienced myself and seen in the experience of others told me that my LORD was bigger than what I was seeing. I had to trust Him to see me through whatever lay ahead. I had to trust Him to show me how to navigate through and take care of me and those that I loved.

Too often I can find myself focusing on the “horses and chariots” and when I do they get bigger and bigger. When I acknowledge their presence and then choose to turn my focus to the One who is big enough to make a change in my circumstances, soak in who He is and how He works, the “horses and chariots” of my distress become more the size of chihuahuas and go-carts.

Who else has held the oceans in his hand?
Who has measured off the heavens with his fingers?
Who else knows the weight of the earth
or has weighed the mountains and hills on a scale?            Isaiah 40:12 (NLT)

Oh, my friends, today I stand here, an ordinary woman who has been through a few crucibles. I have felt the searing heat of battle and exhaustion passed my human endurance. But through it all, God has been there. Through my own willfulness and, yes, the enemy’s deception, there have been times when God felt far away and very silent. But now, as I look back through that valley (Psalm 23:4), I see Jesus with me every step. I could not, would not, be standing here on the other side without Him.

If you feel the weight of a burden today, whether it is your circumstance or the circumstance of another, take time to drink from God’s refreshing, life-giving water. Do think you have to continue to walk on in your own strength. Take time today and spend time with Jesus and refresh. Allow Him to show you Who is really with you (2 Kings 6:17).

Never Once by Matt Redman (2010)