2 Kings 6:8-23 – Where is God when I’m afraid? – sermon notes
“Wake up, Master, wake up!” Poor Gehazi had never been so frightened in his life.
“What’s the matter, my servant?” said the man of God sleepily.
“We’re surrounded! The Arameans have come to kill us!”
“Yes, I know.”
You see, the Arameans kept trying to ambush Israel. The trouble for them was, Elisha always knew where where they were, and so the Israelites could avoid them. The Arameans got fed up with this in the end, and that is why a whole army of them had surrounded Dothan, where Elisha and his servant were staying.
Elisha says to him, ‘Don’t panic. There are more on our side than are against us’
Then came a double miracle.
First, his servant looked around and saw that they were being protected by a vast army of angels.
Second, Elisha’s enemies became completely confused. Elisha marched out to meet them an announced, ‘The man you’re looking for doesn’t live here. I’ll show you where he lives.’ And he led them right into his home town of Samaria. Then their confusion was lifted and they realised where they were – and they were trapped. The Israelites could have killed them there and then. But Elisha said, ‘No. Give them a meal, and then send them home. They’ll never bother us again.’ And they didn’t. Cf. Prov 25:21/Rom 12:20, “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.”
Have you ever been afraid – of things, of people, of what might happen?
We may not have Elisha’s miraculous gifts. But we can all be Elishas when it comes to helping each other when we’re afraid. Notice what Elisha did:-
1. A word of reassurance. ‘Don’t be afraid.’ I love the ‘Fear nots’ of the Bible don’t you? Luk 2:10, ‘”Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.”‘ 5:10, ‘Jesus said to Simon, “Don’t be afraid; from now on you will catch men.”‘
2. A word of instruction. ‘Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.’ See also 2 Chron 32:7f; Psa 3:6; 27:1-3; 34:7. Do you realise that this is precisely true for us as Christians? Rom 8:31, ‘If God is for us, who can be against us?’ That passage is very important, because it assures us that although God may not always chose to deliver us from the things we fear, he does promise to be with us in them.
3. A word of prayer. ‘O Lord, open his eyes so that he may see.’ Eph 1:18f, ‘I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe.’