4 Things To Do When You Feel Surrounded

Do you feel like you are surrounded? Do you feel trapped from the current crisis?  

Elisha was literally surrounded by an army of horses and chariots. They were there to take him as a prisoner. Elisha’s servant sees this great army and is afraid. He’s fearful that he will be captured and imprisoned. Elisha has a completely different response. 

16 “Don’t be afraid!” Elisha told him. “For there are more on our side than on theirs!” 17 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. 

2 Kings 6:17-17

 

How is Elisha able to have such a different response from the servant? Elisha’s response to his crisis teaches us how to respond when we feel surrounded. 

DON’T BE AFRAID

Fear is our normal reaction to being surrounded. When the walls of life are closing in, it’s natural for us to panic and feel anxiety. The servant does. Fear makes us focus on ourselves. We focus inward and can’t see anything else. Our perspective becomes much smaller and narrower. That’s why Elisha’s first words were, “Don’t be afraid.” He’s telling his servant not to focus inward on himself. 

In the Bible, God frequently commands his people to not be afraid. 

“He will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”

Deuteronomy 31:8 

 

We feel fear because we think we are alone. We believe all our comfort, security and safety are gone. But God reminds us that He will never leave us nor forsake us. He’s with us in the trenches. The odds may feel stacked against you. The chances of getting out may feel slim, but God is with us. We don’t need to be afraid. 

SEE FROM GOD’S PERSPECTIVE

The servant sees with his human eyes.  When we see only from our human perspective then we only see what we lack or don’t have. It’s a scarcity mindset. There is only so much available and possible. Scarcity always creates fear and anxiety. We only see what our human eyes allow us to see. However, the natural world is not the full and complete picture. There is more. 

Elisha sees more. Elisha sees with his spiritual eyes. He could see the spiritual realm because he had God’s perspective. He is wearing God’s glasses. He sees the invisible army of God. It represents God’s power and might. He sees the angel army that is protecting them. When we not only believe in God’s unlimited power but also see it in our lives, we have an abundance mentality. We see that God can truly do anything at anytime. This gives us a sense of peace and calm. 

Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

Matthew 19:26

 

Our situation may seem impossible. It probably is impossible for you and for me. However, God shares that nothing is impossible with God.  Jesus did the impossible on earth. He’s in the business of the impossible. The Bible is filled with stories of God and His people performing impossible miracles. They still happen today. We need to see what’s possible from God’s eyes. We need to put on God’s glasses and see what he sees in our current situation. 

HELP OTHERS TO SEE SPIRITUALLY

Elisha asked the Lord to open the eyes of his servant. Elisha wants him to see what he sees. He wants the servant to see the power and provision of God. Elisha did not have to do ask this. He could have let his servant just believe his words to not be afraid. But Elisha wants to enlarge his faith.

We need to not only teach others about God’s mighty power, we need to help others see it too. We do this in two ways. The first is by sharing the stories of how God transformed our life. How God changed your life is a powerful reminder that God still changes people today. It’s a living reminder of God’s miracle. 

16 Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.

James 5:16

 

Another way is when we are honest with each other about our issues. When we can be vulnerable and pray for each other, we help ourselves see spiritually. We get to see the power of God heal our hearts and our situations. We get new life when we confess and share with our trusted brothers and sisters. 

SERVE OTHERS

Elisha also opens the eyes of his enemy. He opens their eyes as he has led them in the presence of Israel’s king. They are now prisoners of war. The Israelite king asks if they can kill this army that wanted to take Elisha. Elisha responds with an emphatic “no.” He says to serve and help them. They are to feed and let them go home. He serves them and shows them kindness. The army came to destroy and kill. Elisha extends mercy and freedom. 

44 But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! 45 In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust alike. 

Matthew 5:44-45

 

This is the way of Jesus. We don’t treat our enemies with hate but with love. When we do this, we act like God’s children. We are the closest to being God’s family when we help others even our enemies. This makes God proud to call us his sons and daughters.  When we feel surrounded by our enemies, it’s our time to serve and help them. It’s not our time to pay revenge or payback. It’s our time to be our Father’s children.

Who can you serve and help in their time of need?