"Lord, I pray thee, open his eyes."

In my home church building hangs a plaque with my picture, a New York map, and my favorite scripture, 2 Kings 6:16. It reads, "Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them."

I've loved that scripture for some time now, because of the comfort it has always given me, knowing that there are so many people on the other side of the veil pulling for me and even fighting for me.

What has really stood out to me these past couple weeks, though, is Elisha's prayer immediately after he make this statement. In my mind, I imagine Elisha's servant looking around very confused, counting those on his side (two) and then looking at the Assyrian army surrounding them. (For more detail, go to my blog post talking about this side of the story here.) Often, I have felt like that servant: overwhelmed, confused, and honestly terrified of the near future. Lately, I've felt a little more like Elijah.

In verse 17, it says, "And Elisha prayed, and said, Lord, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see."

Elisha was lucky enough to know the power of God. He knew that he was being protected by something much greater than himself. He knew that, in the end at least, everything was going to work out. I imagine he probably still had a bit of a panic when he woke up to see the army surrounding him. But, when he remembered who was watching out for him, all he wanted was for the boy he was working with to be able to have that same comfort.

Every night I pray for almost the same thing: that those with whom I have been spending my time can have their eyes open. That they can look out and see the miracle that is this life and find ways of enjoying it, even in the most intimidating of conditions. When armies seem are surrounding them, and any escape seems impossible, that they can see the angels around them--in all forms--and feel protected and at peace.