Sight vs. Vision
Today at HBCYR, our pastor preached from 2 Kings 6:8-23. The story talks about the faith of 4 different people: Elisha, the prophet; Ben-Hadad, the King of Syria; Jehoram, the King of Israel; and Elisha's servant.
At one point, the Syrian army was sent to Dothan to capture Elisha. Upon seeing the army coming, Elisha's servant was afraid. Elisha's response? "Then Elisha prayed" (v. 17)
Prayer is often the last thing that comes to mind when I face adversity. I think it's because I lack vision. It is easy for me to be short-sighted, seeing the immediate and losing eternal perspective.
When Elisha prayed, his servant's eyes were opened to see an army full of horses and chariots of fire. When I saw "chariots of fire", a strong desire to run swelled within me. My run later in the evening was short-lived but good. It wasn't much. It wasn't fast. But it was something.
Our pastor also said something about conviction: "with clarity comes conviction". This reminded me of a talk I heard the other day on the radio. The pastor was talking about belief vs. conviction. What you say you believe is intellectual. What you really believe is conviction. How you act under pressure is conviction. I could believe that sex outside of marriage is wrong. But how would I act when tempted and under pressure?
For a long time, I've been complacent about my lack of vision. I've been wavering in my beliefs. Within me is a strong desire to develop clarity of vision and unwavering conviction. I can't be indifferent anymore. This is war (Ephesians 6:12). Rak Chazak!
At one point, the Syrian army was sent to Dothan to capture Elisha. Upon seeing the army coming, Elisha's servant was afraid. Elisha's response? "Then Elisha prayed" (v. 17)
Prayer is often the last thing that comes to mind when I face adversity. I think it's because I lack vision. It is easy for me to be short-sighted, seeing the immediate and losing eternal perspective.
When Elisha prayed, his servant's eyes were opened to see an army full of horses and chariots of fire. When I saw "chariots of fire", a strong desire to run swelled within me. My run later in the evening was short-lived but good. It wasn't much. It wasn't fast. But it was something.
Our pastor also said something about conviction: "with clarity comes conviction". This reminded me of a talk I heard the other day on the radio. The pastor was talking about belief vs. conviction. What you say you believe is intellectual. What you really believe is conviction. How you act under pressure is conviction. I could believe that sex outside of marriage is wrong. But how would I act when tempted and under pressure?
For a long time, I've been complacent about my lack of vision. I've been wavering in my beliefs. Within me is a strong desire to develop clarity of vision and unwavering conviction. I can't be indifferent anymore. This is war (Ephesians 6:12). Rak Chazak!
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