2 Kings 6:8-23

It’s a funny story: an ancient warlord who finds himself being spied upon by God; he imagines he has surrounded his enemy, Elijah the prophet, only to find he has been surrounded by the armies of God; he and his army  are struck blind, then led like sheep straight to their opponent and to certain death (“Shall I kill them, my father; shall I kill them?” verse 21); instead, a party (“a great feast,” verse 23) thrown for them. Hardly anyone in this story can see what’s going on: not Israel’s king, not the opposing king of Aram, not Elisha’s servant.  Elisha is the only one in the story who sees rightly.

Can people like us learn to see like Elisha?  Can we learn to discern, not with our physical eyes but with our spiritual, how God is present, how God is acting, in our own lives and in the lives of those around us?  Of course! Here are some ways to practice having eyes that are wide (and “wider”) open.

Seeing, spiritual discernment, begins with listening; listening begins with silence.  If we want to “see” better, we should quiet down! More time listening to God rather than having our heads and hearts filled with the ceaseless noise and chatter of our distracted world.

God is under no obligation to “show” us everything we may want to see.  The goal of good spiritual “seeing” is clarity about what God’s will is for me, for us, not to have “secret” insider info because we are so special.

Seeing involves asking: “Lord, please show me what I need to see about this situation.  Help me to see how you are present and at work.”

Seeing requires us to seek, to look and to keep on looking.  But we can’t rush the process, because we are not in charge of it.

Sharper sight is related to prior obedience.  If you know God has already shown you something, said something to you, and are not walking it out, putting it into practice, your vision will stay cloudy.

And good spiritual vision is communal.  We can’t come to clarity alone. We need brothers and sisters in Christ who walk with us and seek to learn to see alongside us.

One “eye test” for us to consider: how do you see your enemies?  The Arameans have surrounded Elisha. Their intent is clear: capture, imprisonment, likely death if he won’t “cooperate.”  Because Elisha has learned to see, he sees even enemies-=-and the Arameans here are definitely enemies of God’s people—the way God sees his enemies: as those who are surrounded, contained, bordered by the armies of light and love.  “Shall I kill them?” Israel’s king asks the prophet, when the blinded enemies are led directly to them. “Shall I kill them?” You can hear his eagerness to do just that!

No, says Elisha.  Feed them, giving them something to drink, send them on their way.  They’re surrounded but can’t see it. Don’t destroy them; treat them like God does.

“So the bands from Aram stopped raiding Israel’s’ territory.”

Any thoughts about what might be blocking your spiritual vision?  Jesus was pretty great at healing blind eyes … Maybe ask him to go to work on yours?

If you’d like to live with your eyes wide open today, here are two things to do: listen to Jesus and do what he says to you. If there’s something you know you need to do today, go do it. Otherwise, set a timer for 5 minutes and try to be silent before the Lord, letting him de-clutter your thoughts.