“It is said that the Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin so feared for his safety that his residence in Moscow contained eight bedrooms. Each night Stalin chose a bedroom at random to ensure that no one knew exactly where he was sleeping.” – Unknown
Stalin is a man with the exact opposite attitude of Elisha. In 2 Kings 6, Elisha is being hunted down by the Arameans because being a prophet of God he was sent word and warned the king of Israel where they were going to be. The king of Aram couldn’t have Elisha giving valuable information away so he sent a great army to go get Elisha. When that great army arrived, Elisha’s servant seeing the city surrounded went to tell Elisha because he was afraid. After telling Elisha the servant asked, “what shall we do.” Elisha simply answered, “Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” Now the servant couldn’t see the physical presence of God and His army but Elisha knew that they were there and trusted in God, which allowed him not to be afraid.
Today we often forget that God is still there protecting us as He did for Elisha. We are more like Stalin afraid of the things that may happen or the people that may be after us. Jesus even gives us some comfort about this problem of fear. Jesus says, “Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell” (Matt. 10:28). If we are going to fear anything or anyone it should only be God. It is possible that something could happen and we may lose our life, but nothing can take away our soul but God. If we stay faithful and fully trust in God like Elisha even if we die in this physical world our eternal soul will be safely tucked away with God. So, what is there to fear other than being separated from God? Jacob Saarloos
