Back to the adventures of Elisha, 2 Kings 6 opens with another quick miracle. The “guild of prophets” needed a bigger building, and while one of them was cutting down a tree…

As one of them was felling a timber, his axhead flew off and sank in the river. “Oh no, master!” he cried out. “And it was borrowed!” The Holy Man said, “Where did it sink?” The man showed him the place. He cut off a branch and tossed it at the spot. The axhead floated up. (2 Kings 6.5, 6, MSG)

God is real. God is here.

Then Elisha has a “word of knowledge” about the plans of the king of Aram. Every time he planned an ambush, Elisha would send a message to the king of Israel. “This kind of thing happened all the time.” (verse 10)

The king of Aram was furious over all this. He called his officers together and said, “Tell me, who is leaking information to the king of Israel? Who is the spy in our ranks?” But one of his men said, “No, my master, dear king. It’s not any of us. It’s Elisha the prophet in Israel. He tells the king of Israel everything you say, even what you whisper in your bedroom.” (2 Kings 6.11, 12, MSG)

So the king sends horses and chariots to surround Dothan, where Elisha is. But no problem…

Early in the morning a servant of the Holy Man got up and went out. Surprise! Horses and chariots surrounding the city! The young man exclaimed, “Oh, master! What shall we do?” He said, “Don’t worry about it—there are more on our side than on their side.” Then Elisha prayed, “O GOD, open his eyes and let him see.” The eyes of the young man were opened and he saw. A wonder! The whole mountainside full of horses and chariots of fire surrounding Elisha! (2 Kings 6.15 – 17, MSG)

The apostle John wrote:

Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. (1 John 4.4, ESV)

We don’t know why God doesn’t always deliver his people from harm (for example, the young couple who was recently killed in Haiti), but know it’s not because he can’t.

Jesus said to him, “Friend, do what you came to do.” Then they came up and laid hands on Jesus and seized him. And behold, one of those who were with Jesus stretched out his hand and drew his sword and struck the servant of the high priest and cut off his ear. Then Jesus said to him, “Put your sword back into its place. For all who take the sword will perish by the sword. Do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father, and he will at once send me more than twelve legions of angels? (Matthew 26.50 – 53, ESV)