The Make It Happen Moment ®

In the Old Testament story recorded in 2 Kings 6:8-18, the prophet Elisha is able to see beyond the natural realm into the supernatural realm when he and his servant were faced with a seemingly overwhelming situation. The Syrian King sent his army to find Elisha and capture him because Elisha kept informing the King of Israel about his battle intentions against the nation of Israel. In fact the Bible says that Elisha would tell the king of Israel every word that the king of Syria would actually speak in the privacy of his own bedroom. As a result, the king of Syria went on a manhunt for Elisha and surrounded him and his servant on the hillside with his army, horses, and chariots. However, Elisha and his servant were not alone by any means. 2 Kings 6:16-17 records Elisha’s response. “’Don’t be afraid!’ Elisha told him.’For there are more on our side than on theirs!’ Then Elisha prayed, ‘O Lord, open his eyes and let him see!’ The Lord opened the young man’s eyes, and when he looked up, he saw that the hillside around Elisha was filled with horses and chariots of fire.”

Ever feel like you are in an overwhelming situation where you are surrounded by what seems to be tremendous odds stacked against you and you don’t know how to respond?

I know I have. And when I am in that kind of situation, the circumstances in the natural realm can become so paramount that I can easily lose sight of the fact that God is actually on my side and He is there to fight my battle. It is in these moments – when all I can see (like the servant of Elisha) is the impending natural realm surrounding me, encroaching upon me, and threatening me – that I must intentionally settle my soul and ask the Lord to open my eyes to see the overshadowing supernatural realm that surrounds me, protects me, and fights for me as a son of the Most High, Almighty God. Because I know that this is not so easily done, I want to share 3 ways I have discovered to help me settle my soul in the midst of trial and see beyond the natural realm into the supernatural realm where my help comes from God.

The First Way I Have Found To Do This Is To Know The Word Of God And Speak It

With God and His Word, you and I have all we need to be able to look beyond the natural realm into the supernatural realm and walk by faith, not by our sight. To do this, however, we must know God’s Word so that when our natural circumstances do not line up with God’s Word and the enemy bombards us with lies, we can overcome the enemy by the blood of the lamb that covers us and the word of our testimony that we speak based on the truth of God’s Word (Revelation 12:11). For example, when you have an overwhelming financial situation and the devil tells you, “your finances are not enough and will never be enough.” You can tell him, “No devil, my God is El Shaddai, Jehovah Jirah, the Lord my Provider, who provides more than enough for me and He can do exceedingly abundantly above all I can ask or think in my finances.” Regardless of the overwhelming odds facing us in the natural realm, we must find God’s promises and speak those promises into the supernatural realm because God is good and His promises are true. 2 Samuel 22:31 states “God’s way is perfect. All the Lord’s promises prove true. He is a shield for all who look to Him for protection.”

Don’t ever believe that the words you speak are powerless in the supernatural. Isn’t it interesting that Elisha could tell the king of Israel every word that the king of Syria would speak in the privacy of his own bedroom? Proverbs 18:21 states, “The tongue can bring death or life; those who love to talk will reap the consequences.” Our words have tremendous power and so does the word of God! This is why I am very careful in choosing the words I speak when I am walking through a trial as well as the people I invite into my life to walk with me through a trial. The powerful truth is that the results of life or death in any trial we’re facing can often hang in the balance by the words we speak and others speak in faith about the situation OR the words we speak and others speak in fear, doubt, and ignorance about the situation. Therefore, I want to speak the word of God into my trials because the word of God is living, powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword. Furthermore, I want brothers and sisters in Christ who know the word of God to walk with me through my trials speaking words of faith, blessing, and life over my life until my temporary circumstances line up with the eternal truths of God’s word and His promises for my life. Because the simple truth is, regardless of how impossible a situation may look in our lives…God starts at impossible as Christine Caine so eloquently states. In fact, the word of God says that ALL things are possible with God, NOTHING is too difficult for Him, and He works ALL things together for our good. This is good news because these truths change EVERYTHING that you and I face in the natural realm of life when we believe God and remember His faithfulness.

The Second Way I have Found To Settle My Soul In The Midst Of A Trial And See Beyond The Natural Realm Into The Supernatural Realm Is To Face The Truthful State Of My Faith And Remember God’s Faithfulness

How true is it that we can so easily forget the Lord’s faithfulness when we are going through a serious trial in life. It was no different for the children of Israel. It’s recorded in the Bible that they had just seen the Lord deliver them from the hand of Pharaoh through the parting of the Red Sea and they soon forgot what He had done for them. Psalms 106:10-13 states, “He [the Lord] saved them from the hand of him [Pharaoh] who hated them, and redeemed them from the hand of the enemy. The waters covered their enemies; there was not one of them left. Then they believed His words; they sang His praise. They soon forgot His works.”

We read their story and think to ourselves, how could they not trust God when He had just demonstrated His awesome power in their lives? But let me ask this question…what about you and I? Don’t we do the very same thing? We see God’s faithfulness one day and praise Him. Then the next day we think He has taken a vacation and forgotten about us. The truth is that God does not take vacations and forget about us. The truth is that we are just simply faithless at times and our trials demand that we face this truth. But the good news is that the Bible states in 2 Timothy 2:13, “If we are faithless, He (Jesus) remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself.” As believers and followers of Jesus Christ, this is very good news because Jesus will remain faithful to us even in those trying times when we become momentarily faithless during a difficult trial. Since He is the Author and Finisher of our faith (Hebrews 12:2), He will be faithful to complete the good work He has begun in us (Philippians 1:6) as we wrestle with God from faith to faith through our trials. To me, this means that the trials I face in life are actually opportunities that the Lord uses to build my faith and finish my faith as I learn how to place my complete trust in Him and Him alone.

The Third Way I have Found To Settle My Soul In The Midst Of A Trial And See Beyond The Natural Realm Into The Supernatural Realm Is To Praise God In The Midst Of The Trial And Please Him With My Faith

Hebrews 11:6 states, “But without faith, it is impossible to please God.” Wow, think about it! Without faith, there is absolutely nothing you and I can do to please God. On the other hand, it blows my mind to think that when we do have faith in God and place our trust in Him, you and I can actually please our heavenly Father. This tells me that our faith or lack thereof is a pretty big deal to God. In fact, I believe that we are never more close to pleasing the heart of God than those times when we have nothing else to believe in other than the faithfulness of God to come through for us with His word and His promises.

Now don’t misunderstand the difference between the love of God toward us and the pleasure of God toward us because they are two entirely different matters in our relationship with God. As a child of God, there is nothing that can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus – it never changes; however, the Bible is clear that our faith does bring pleasure to the heart of God. With the measure of faith that God gives to everyone as stated in Romans 12:3, everyone has an opportunity to bring God pleasure in the midst of a trial by praising Him in the trial and believing Him to faithfully bring us through the trial. When we have a resting faith in God that trusts Him no matter what, God is pleased because our faith is in Him alone and nothing else.

For me, understanding that my faith actually brings God pleasure, opens my eyes to see that the real purpose of my trials is to provide me with the tremendous opportunity for my faith to be tested and my faith to grow deeper in Christ which ultimately brings God great pleasure in my relationship with Him. The apostle James states in his epistle, Chapter 1:2-4, “Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.” With faith in Christ, we have everything we need in the kingdom of God. Furthermore, it is our Father’s good pleasure to give us the kingdom when we believe Him and His word. All glory, praise, and honor be to our heavenly Father, forever and ever. Amen!

Open My Eyes To See Copyright 2012, The Make It Happen Learning Institute.  You have permission to reprint the leadership article, Open My Eyes To See, in its entirety only, and forward to your colleagues and friends, provided the copyright notice remains part of the reprint and transmission.  All other rights reserved.