Why is the invisible so scary?
What is out there that I cannot see?
A beautiful sunny day!
Why is it that we seem to be alarmingly afraid of what we cannot see? I experienced that syndrome on my last trip home to Alabama from Maine. The pilot warned us that we were going to have a turbulent ride. But it was a beautiful sunny day with no real clouds around except for a few high wispy ones. There was nothing at all that I could see that would tell me it was going to be a rough ride. (Although I have since learned that clouds above the plane might have been a clue. LOL!) These kind of announcements still bring a little apprehension to me as I’m not a seasoned flyer. Feeling the bumps and drafts being caused by something I cannot see, just doesn’t seem natural to me. Conversely, I reflected, if I were driving down a road in my car and felt bumps, I would think nothing of it – probably in large part because I would be able to see the bumps in the road. Somehow, not being able to see the cause of the tumult seemed to create much more apprehension than a bumpy road would have. Why is the invisible so scary?
And how is it that we put great confidence in what we see, when what we see can be drastically altered by numerous things around us? For example, if you were to arrive at a mountain cabin after dark, it is likely that because of the darkness, you would not be able to see all of the mountains that were surrounding you. But come sunrise, WOW, what a different world. The majestic peaks would be clearly illuminated in the bright sunlight.
The slightest change in our perspective can greatly alter what we see.
The white zig zag under the spider is not easy to see in the first picture. But in the second one, with only a slight change of perspective, it is clearly visible.
We fail to see things simply because we are not looking for them.
Reflections can look just like the real thing.
The chipmunk was right beside a crowded path in a botanical garden, yet no one saw him as they walked past. Was he any less real because he wasn’t seen? And sometimes reflections can be deceiving. If I turned the picture of the lake upside down, and did a little editing, it could easily be mistaken for the real thing.
Hence can we really believe and trust everything that we see? I would say not. So why do we trust our physical eyes vastly more than our spiritual ones? We readily believe that there is a whole nother world under the surface of the ocean water, whether we have seen it or not. Yet believing that a spiritual world exists seems to require a lot more faith.
Nonetheless, it is in that spiritual world that the most important things are taking place. It is in that world where battles with eternal ramifications are being fought. It is in that world that things are the most real – more than anything that is happening on this big ball that we live on. And it is in that world that eternity has begun and is being ruled and managed every day by our amazing, great, and awesome God!!
Wouldn’t it be exciting if there were a way for us to actually see that world in all of its glory and power? Not many of us are ever given that privilege while still living in our fleshly bodies. But it has happened.
He thought Elisha had lost it!
There is just such an incident in 2 Kings 6. Elisha had been telling the king of Samaria exactly where his enemy, the king of Syria, was going to attack. This made it impossible for the king of Samaria to be defeated. Understandably, the king of Syria became very frustrated that the king of Samaria always knew his plans. He thought there was a spy in his camp. However, his men assured him there was not a spy, but rather it was the prophet, Elisha, that was telling the Samaritan king all about his plans.
When the king of Syria heard about Elisha, “he sent horses and chariots and a great army, and they came by night and surrounded the city. When the servant of the man of God rose early in the morning and went out, behold, an army with horses and chariots was all around the city. And the servant said, “Alas, my master! What shall we do?” (vs. 14-15) But Elisha wasn’t bothered at all. His reply to his servant was “Do not be afraid, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” (vs. 16)
Now, I’m sure at this moment that servant must have thought Elisha had lost it! After all, they were surrounded by a great army. And it was only the two of them to defend themselves. But Elisha had mastered the secret of seeing the invisible – seeing and believing. He knew that the armies fighting for them were far greater than the one his servant could see. So Elisha simply prayed, “O Lord, please open his eyes that he may see.” (vs 17) In answer to Elisha’s prayer, “the Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw, and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.” (vs. 17)
He makes the clouds His chariot.
Horses and chariots of fire all around! Who could possibly have known that??? Absolutely no one who was depending on their physical eyes. To view this fiery army you had to have spiritual vision. We tend to forget that we, too, are surrounded by an army with horses and chariots of fire, as well as the angels who are always at work on our behalf. The forces that we cannot see are infinitely more powerful than those we can see. Yet we all too quickly forget the omnipotent greatness of our God.
Psalm 104:3b-4 states, “he makes the clouds his chariot;
he rides on the wings of the wind; he makes his messengers winds, his ministers a flaming fire.”
How magnificent! Can we see any of that? I don’t think so. I can’t quite even imagine it! We can see the results of what the wind does, but we can’t see the wind itself. On that plane, I could feel the results of the turbulence, but I certainly could not see it.
Too many times we find it difficult to trust God because we cannot see Him, or see what He is doing, or see what lies ahead. But what kind of God would He be if we could understand and comprehend everything that He is and does? It should be far more comforting for us that He is too great for us to understand. It should be comforting to know that He controls all things, not just what we can see. And it should give us peace to know that God and His kingdom and His armies and His angels are every bit as real as the mountains that disappear in the dark.
If we are having trouble seeing with our spiritual eyes, we may need to change our perspective, or pay more attention to what is there, or pray that our eyes be opened to see what is really real! God is always there and fully in control of every situation. One day, we will all see the kingdom that is controlling the world. Until then, have faith to trust and obey even when your eyes cannot see and your mind cannot comprehend. That is one more step on “The Blessing Road.” See you out there! 🙂
GUARD RAIL: Remember that God’s kingdom is real and powerful even though you cannot see it!
So the Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw, and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.
2 Kings 6: 17b