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Colin Smith: We walk by faith, not by sight. Now what does that actually mean? Well, to walk by sight means very simply that we are controlled by what we can see around us. And if you're controlled by what you see around us, well, you're always going to be living in fear.

Steve Hiller: Welcome to Open the Bible with Pastor Colin Smith. I'm Steve Hiller. Glad you're listening today. And maybe as you're listening to that definition of walking by sight, you recognize yourself in that. You realize that's something that you've been doing. And Colin, for those who would self-identify in that way, how do we begin to learn to walk by faith?

Colin Smith: Well, I think that faith is best understood as having two sides. It's believing and it's trusting. And I like to put it this way: that faith involves trusting God in what he's kept secret and believing God in what he has revealed. So these are the two parts of what it means to walk by faith. There are many things that God has kept secret and we have to trust him in them. All the questions that begin with "why" that we can't answer. They're all things that God has kept secret and I have to trust him in them.

Now how am I to do that? Well, the other side of faith is that I believe God in what he has revealed. So it seems to me that faith is strengthened as I take in what God has revealed and believe it. That's why we're constantly encouraging people to take in some part of the promise of God, the word of God, to believe what God has revealed. And that's what enables us to trust God in what he has kept secret. And that's what it looks like to walk by faith rather than walk by sight.

And that really is the challenge of the Christian life, isn't it? Because if we don't walk by faith, we're simply going to find ourselves wading through discouragement because of the darkness that's around us. I hope that the program today is going to help people see that we really can trust God in what he's kept secret and we really can believe God in the wonderful promises that he has revealed.

Steve Hiller: Well, let's continue to look at this together from 2nd Kings, chapter six. Our message is called God Will Be With Us. Here is Pastor Colin.

Colin Smith: Here we come to the second thing that we need to know and to believe when we are afraid. Not only that God knows everything about us, but that God really is present with us. Verse 17: "And then Elisha prayed and said, 'Oh Lord, please open his eyes that he may see.'" So the Lord opened the eyes of the young man and he saw. And then we're told what it was that he saw: "Behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha."

So get the picture. There's this great army that's surrounding the city. But between Elisha and those who have come to arrest him, there stands a greater army that is invisible to the human eye, the angels of God, formed an invisible guard and they were all around Elisha. Now you see the point. The seminary student was in a panic because he did not see the full picture. He saw all the forces that were arrayed against him. What he didn't see was who was for him.

And Elisha wants his servant to have peace. He doesn't want his servant to be living in fear. And so this is what he prays: "Oh Lord, please open his eyes." Now dear friends, we need this prayer, don't we? And here is a perfect model of how to pray for yourself when you are afraid or how indeed to pray for someone else you're seeking to walk with and they are facing great fear: "Oh Lord, open my eyes."

Help me to see that you really are for me. Help me to see and to believe that you really are with me. Help me to see and to believe that your power really is greater than all the forces that are arrayed against me.

Now dear friends, you know well that this is absolutely fundamental to living the Christian life. Remember how the Apostle Paul describes the Christian life: "We walk by faith, not by sight." Now what does that actually mean? Well, to walk by sight means very simply that we are controlled by what we can see around us. And if you're controlled by what you see around us, well, you're always going to be living in fear.

But to walk by faith means that we truly believe what our eyes cannot see. That is that God is with us, that his angels surround us, that his Holy Spirit really does live in us. You see the point. Faith sees more than the troubling realities that are around us. And that of course is the point of Hebrews chapter 11 and verse one where we're given this wonderful statement about the nature of faith.

What is faith? Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. That's what it is and it's beautifully illustrated in this wonderful story. Faith is not closing your eyes to reality. Faith is not burying your head in the sand. Faith has eyes wide open to the dangers and darkness that surround us. But faith sees more than the dangers and the darkness that surround us. Faith opens our eyes to the greater reality of God's own presence and his power. Faith sees the armies of God all around us and therefore knows that nothing can touch us apart from it being the Father's own will.

Now this wonderful truth, dear friends, is what will give us endurance in all that God has called us to do. It's made very clear in Hebrews 11 that this actually is the secret of enduring and persevering over the long haul. And the outstanding example of course of this in the Bible is Moses. How was it that Moses could endure all the trials that he faced during 40 years of ministry in the desert?

Well, the Bible tells us, Hebrews 11 and verse 27, very important verse: "By faith he left Egypt, not being afraid of the anger of the king." Why? "For he endured as seeing him who is invisible." Oh, Moses knew all about the anger of Pharaoh but he saw more than the anger of Pharaoh. He had to endure the endless complaining and constant unbelief of God's people in the desert but he saw more than the endless complaining and unbelief of God's people in the desert.

He endured because of what or rather who he saw. He endured as seeing him who is invisible. That's what faith does. Faith counts on God as much as you would if you could see him sitting in the seat right next to you. Faith counts on God as much as you would if you could hear him speak to you in an audible voice.

Do you see walking by sight always leads to fear? But walking by faith will lead you into peace. And you remember how the Apostle Paul describes this in the New Testament. He speaks about the peace of God which surpasses all understanding, that guards our hearts and our minds in Christ Jesus. Now do you see that is what Elisha had right here in this story.

He's in the house with his servant. The city is surrounded by this great army who've come to get him. The servant's in a panic but Elisha is not. He has peace. And why does he have peace? Because God has opened his eyes and he prays that his servant's eyes will be opened because when the eyes are opened Elisha and the servant will both see that the power of God that is for them is greater than all that is arrayed against them.

Do you see today and do you really believe that God truly stands with you and that he really is for you? Do you see and know and believe today that nothing can ever touch you apart from your Father's will? Because if you can really see that and believe it, you will have peace. You'll be delivered from fear. You will have peace.

Steve Hiller: You're listening to Open the Bible with Pastor Colin Smith. The message called God Will Be With Us. It's part of a larger series where we're taking a look at several stories from the life of Elisha. It's called In God We Trust. And if you ever miss a broadcast in our series, you can come and listen online at openthebible.org. Another way to listen is through the Open the Bible app, which you'll find for free at your App Store. It's a great way to listen to Pastor Colin's teaching on the go whenever it fits your schedule. Or again, listen at the website openthebible.org. Back to the message. Here's Pastor Colin.

Colin Smith: Now there are four things in this story that we need to know and believe when we are afraid: God knows everything about you; God is present with you; third, God is working for you. Now it might be that there is someone who at this point would think or perhaps even say, "Well, I know that God is with me but..." and then you might list all that is against you and you find yourself right back where the seminary student was before God wonderfully opened his eyes.

Now if that's where you are, it may be that you have been infected by an old faith-sapping heresy that's called deism. D-E-I-S-M. And deism thinks of God being with us in much the same way as friends on the bleachers are with you when you're playing in a game. That is they're there to sort of cheer you on. They're there to give you moral support. They are with you, they are for you, but they cannot do anything to actually influence what's happening in the game.

Now dear friends, that is not the God of the Bible. And this story very clearly reminds us not only that God is with us but that God actively works for us. Think of all the things that God does in this story. God frustrates the plans of the powerful king. God opens the eyes of a young believer to see what is invisible. And now we're going to see that God closes the eyes, blinds the eyes, of a vast army.

Verse 18: "When the Syrians came down against him, Elisha prayed to the Lord and said, 'Please strike this people with blindness.' So he struck them with blindness in accordance with the prayer of Elisha." So this great army comes down on Elisha's house and suddenly these folks don't see. The very opposite of what Elisha had prayed for his servant. Their sight becomes befuddled.

And we're not told how this happens. The single fact that we're told here is that it was God who did it. He struck them with blindness in accordance with the prayer of Elisha. So the God who intervened to open the eyes of the servant so that he would see what is invisible then intervenes again to close the eyes of the enemy army so they can't see what's actually there.

And then Elisha said to them—you got to love this—"This is not the way and this is not the city. Follow me and I will bring you to the man whom you seek." And of course the man they were seeking ultimately was the King of Israel. The only reason they wanted to capture Elisha was that he was giving inside information that was thwarting the big picture plan which was to ambush the King of Israel.

Well, Elisha says, "Well, I know who you're actually seeking and I'll take you right to him." And so Elisha leads these men about 10 miles from Dothan to Samaria, right into the king's own residence, where of course all the power of the state is arrayed there around him. And then when they get there, Elisha said, verse 20: "Oh Lord, open the eyes of these men that they may see." And when the Lord opened their eyes they got the shock of their lives because they had been led right into the hands of the king they were seeking to destroy.

Do you know as I was thinking about this, it struck me that what they experienced on that day must have been a kind of taste of the awful terror that will seize the enemies of God on the day of judgment. What would it be like to have your eyes opened and to find yourself in the awesome presence of the God you have defied and blasphemed all your life and you're right there in his hands? Well, when the King of Israel saw that the enemies who wanted to kill him had been delivered right into his hands, it's not surprising that he wanted to destroy them completely.

Verse 21: "As soon as the King of Israel saw them, he said to Elisha, 'My father, shall I strike them down? Shall I strike them down?'" The fact that he says it twice seems to indicate his eagerness, don't you think? Let me at them, let me at them. But you see this was not the day of judgment. And so these men were in for a second surprise. Elisha said: "You shall not strike them down." And here we see something very, very wonderful indeed.

That these men, an enemy army, whose ultimate objective was to ambush, capture, and kill the King of Israel, find that this king who they sought to kill showed them mercy. And that brings us to the fourth thing in this wonderful story that we need to know and to grasp and believe when we are afraid: God knows everything about you; God is present with you; God is working for you; and God is merciful toward you.

He prepared for them a great feast. Isn't that beautiful? The king they wanted to kill showed them mercy. And when they were delivered into his hand and he could have done anything he wanted with them, he prepared for them a great feast.

Now I want us in these last few moments here to see how this whole story points us very, very wonderfully and clearly to our Lord Jesus Christ and to the mercy that is ours in him. The King of Syria sent a great army to arrest just one man. And do you remember that's exactly what happened in the Garden of Gethsemane? Judas had procured a band, probably a cohort of soldiers, that would have been several hundred men. And in addition to that, the chief priests had a great crowd with swords and with clubs. So there were actually two armies that were sent at the same time, two armies to arrest just one man.

And you remember how Peter was ready to go down fighting. He drew his sword. Jesus said, "You put that away." You remember what Jesus said next: "Do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father and he will at once send me more than 12 legions of angels?" Jesus could have called on the invisible armies of God. He could have delivered him in a moment. But he didn't do that. He could easily have destroyed all his enemies right there and then, make it the day of judgment.

But he didn't do that. When they nailed him to the cross, he said, "Father, forgive them. They do not know what they are doing." Now friends, we were God's enemies. We were blind to his glory. We were blind to his truth. And justice would have condemned and destroyed us forever. But God is merciful toward us. And in Jesus Christ, instead of condemning us, he invites us to a feast.

God showed mercy when we were his enemies and therefore we can count on him to deliver us now that we are his friends. This is the inescapable logic of Romans chapter five and verse 10: "If while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his son, how much more now that we've been reconciled shall we be saved by his life?"

Dear friend, do you see today that the armies of God are all around you? And nothing can touch you apart from the will of your loving heavenly Father who always works for your ultimate good. So here are four things to know and believe when you are afraid: that God knows everything about you; that God is present with you; that God is working for you; and that God truly is merciful toward you. And when you know and believe these things, you will not be consumed by fear. When you know and believe these things, you will have peace.

Steve Hiller: You're listening to Open the Bible with Pastor Colin Smith as Pastor Colin wraps up a message, God Will Be With Us. Part of a series, In God We Trust. And if you've missed any of the programs in the series, come and listen online at openthebible.org. Open the Bible is listener-supported. We do depend on your generosity to keep this teaching on the air. And as you give a gift of any amount this month, we want to send you a copy of Lincoln's Daily Devotional. And Colin, tell us about this book.

Colin Smith: Well, the first thing that's absolutely fascinating to me is that Abraham Lincoln had and used a devotional. He read scripture and had it in his mind and in his heart. And I discovered this because a friend of mine a while ago gave me an early edition of the actual devotional that Abraham Lincoln used. And it's brilliant. It lays out each day a verse or two of scripture, they're organized topically around a month, and they go through the experience of a Christian believer: our joys, our sorrows, our temptations, and of course our final hope and blessedness.

I was absolutely thrilled to discover that all these years ago Abraham Lincoln was reading and meditating on a verse of scripture each day. And then I discovered that the book's been reprinted and it's been beautifully reproduced. And so Steve, it's a joy to me to make this available to folks. It's in the old King James Version, which of course is so beautiful in the way that it expresses the word of God. I found this just to be very wonderful and rich. I think people will treasure having a copy of the devotional that Abraham Lincoln himself used to meditate on the word of God.

Steve Hiller: Well, we want to send you a copy as our way of saying thank you for financially supporting Open the Bible this month. You can give a gift online at openthebible.org or when you call 1-877-OPEN-365. That's 1-877-673-6365. Or again our website is openthebible.org. For Pastor Colin Smith, I'm Steve Hiller. Thanks for listening and I hope you'll join us next time. This program is a listener-supported production of Open the Bible.

Colin Smith: Hi, this is Pastor Colin again and I want you to know about Watch Your Doctrine. Watch Your Doctrine is a six-session course that is geared for leaders but accessible for every believer. The six sessions will introduce you to six central truths of the Christian faith: how we know God, how God speaks to us, how sin affects us, how God's spirit brings new life, how we're made right with God, and what Jesus accomplished on the cross.

There are questions at the end of each session and you can use them on your own or you can discuss them with a friend. For more information or to begin this free online course, visit openthebible.org/courses. That's openthebible.org/courses.