Tag : protection-2
Tag : protection-2
“Don’t be afraid,” the prophet answered. “Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” And Elisha prayed, “Open his eyes, Lord, so that he may see.” Then the Lord opened the servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.
(2 Kings 6:16-17, NIV)
Elisha, referred to as the man of God in 2 Kings 6, was a prophet that was protected by an army of angels when the king of Aram (now Syria) sent his earthly army to capture him. Ancient Aram was at war with Israel and the king of Aram was disturbed that Elisha was predicting where Aram’s army was going and warning Israel’s king—thwarting the king of Aram’s plan to capture Israel. He decided to send a strong force of horses and chariots to surround Dothan, the city where Elisha and his servant were staying. When the servant got up, and went out early the next morning, he saw the earthly army surrounding the city and he was afraid. In verse 17, Elisha prayed, “Open his eyes, Lord, so that he may see.” In the next sentence we are told, “Then the Lord opened the servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.” At first, being surrounded by a large army with seemingly no escape terrified the servant, who could only see the earthly army through earthly eyes. After the Lord opened the servant’s eyes he could see the army of angels that were protecting him and Elisha.
“Then I asked, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ “ ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,’ the Lord replied. ‘Now get up and stand on your feet. I have appeared to you to appoint you as a servant and as a witness of what you have seen and will see of me. I will rescue you from your own people and from the Gentiles. I am sending you to them to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’”
(Acts 26:15-18, NIV)
When Jesus spoke to Saul, who later became the apostle Paul, He said, “I am sending you to them to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light.” Like Paul, when you encounter and follow Jesus, the Light of the world, you will start seeing things more clearly through spiritual eyes. Jesus says in John 12:46, “I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness.” When the Holy Spirit is in you and is guiding you, you start seeing things that His Spirit wants you to see. He warns you of eminent danger. The result is a keen perception or a discerning spirit that empowers you to be victorious against the spiritual forces of evil in the world.
“For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.”
(Ephesians 6:12, KJV)
Recently, like Elisha, while in the middle of a personal spiritual battle, I was rescued by an army of angels led by my Lord and Savior, Jesus. While battling against the dark powers that surrounded me, I enlisted the prayer team of Pearls of Promise. I was fighting the rulers of the darkness of this world, and miraculously, an army of angels stepped in. I knew it was because our Pearls of Promise Founder, Lisa, my POP team members, and the prayer team were praying against this spiritual wickedness that was surrounding me. In 2 Thessalonians 1:7, the Bible says. “The Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels.” In Psalms 91, I am told He will command His angels to guard me in all my ways. Because I love Him, they will lift me up in their hands, so that I will not strike my foot against a stone. He says He will rescue me and protect me because I acknowledge His name. He will be with me in trouble, deliver me and honor me. What a gift salvation is! I know I did not do anything to deserve it, except to love and acknowledge Him as my Lord and Savior.
“For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone. You will tread on the lion and the cobra; you will trample the great lion and the serpent. ‘Because he loves me,’ says the Lord, ‘I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. He will call on me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him. With long life I will satisfy him and show him my salvation.’”
(Psalms 91:11-16, NIV)
Categories: Blog
“The Lord will keep you from all harm—he will watch over your life; the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.”
(Psalm 121:7–8, NIV)
My husband Jeff and I were on our way to San Antonio and the windshield was a mess so I asked him to spray some water on it with the windshield wipers. To my surprise the wiper blades were gone! I then remembered going through the carwash earlier that day where I had initially forgotten to turn the wipers off. They were only on for a few seconds, but apparently that was enough for the automated car wash equipment to rip them off.
We made a plan to get new ones once we were in San Antonio but then the worst happened. It started raining—light rain at first—but it eventually poured. We were on a two lane highway near San Marcos, Texas. I was trying to figure out what to do when my husband said, “I can’t see! We have to pull over.” Amazingly, there was an auto parts store staring us in the face once we turned off the highway. However, they did not have any wiper blades that would work.
The auto parts employee steered us to another nearby parts store, Auto Zone, and it was there that we received help. It was not an easy fix because the blades they had in stock were not designed for our car, but three employees worked on the wipers until we they were repaired and we were grateful.
As I look back, I believe God watched over us in that scenario. We had missed our original cutover to IH 35, so we ended up taking the less-traveled road. What if we had been on a major highway—not able to see the road? It could have been a different story. Three Auto Zone employees felt sorry for us and worked on our car in the rain, going above and beyond their job description. I thanked God for his provision and that there are still very good people in the world who have a servant’s heart.
I realized that life will always have problems and scary scenarios, but God often protects us from harm. I pray every day for our family’s protection, and believe the LORD watches over us as we travel to and fro. I personally have had too many close calls on the road. I give God all the credit for helping me to avoid driving mishaps, whether it’s missing someone in my blindspot, or having to suddenly stop on a highway. I have often wondered, How did I avoid that car? Easy, God was there moving them out of the way, just enough, so there was no impact.
What about you? How has God watched over your life?
“…And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Categories: Blog