“And Elisha prayed, and said, Lord, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the Lord opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha.” 2 Kings 6:17 KJV

This is a good verse to read when we face overwhelming challenges. Elisha knew how scary the situation was – knowing they were surrounded by their enemies – but he chose to respond in faith. He chose to fix his eyes on God, not the adversity. Elisha prayed, not for God to remove the enemy but for his servant's eyes to be opened to a greater reality. Then the servant saw the once invisible truth, that a far greater army was with them—God’s powerful army filling the hills with horses and chariots of fire.

Beloved, there are times when life’s challenges may seem too much for us to handle, and our human perspective keeps us from seeing the greater reality of God’s truth. But tapping into faith and believing in God’s word with all our hearts allows us to see and experience God's unlimited ability and resources as we trust in Him. His presence will always be with us, surrounding us with strength and protection. Instead of focusing on the impossibilities when we are overwhelmed by our circumstances, we can pray for God to open our eyes to His presence and provision. We also pray that if our perspective and responses change, we have the vision that turns weakness into strength, despair into hope, and fear and doubt into faith.

Heavenly Father, thank You that You always come to our aid, in whatever way, each time we are in trouble. We confess that sometimes our vision is clouded by the challenges that surround us. We pray that You will open our eyes to see beyond the situation that causes fear and despair. We ask that You help us to have the faith to trust in Your provision and protection, acknowledging Your greatness over our adversities, in Jesus' name. Amen.