What We Can’t See

Posted by Marybeth | 0 comments

II Kings 6:16-17a, “Don’t be afraid,’ the prophet answered. ‘Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.’ And Elisha prayed, ‘O Lord, open his eyes so he may see.’”

There have been many times in my homeschooling journey that I finished the day with a resolute declaration: “I am just not cut out for this!” I can’t see that anything I did made a difference. I can’t see that my childrens’ characters are being shaped into something even remotely desirable. I can’t see that our home is a place where memories are made—except for maybe bad ones. I can’t see that getting up the next day and doing it all again is advisable. I am mired in the muck of the day, only seeing the mess and not the hope, the chaos and not the promise.

In II Kings 6:15-17, Elisha prays for his servant to be able to see beyond his circumstances. They are surrounded by a great army and the odds look to be overwhelmingly against them. He asks God to show the servant what is taking place beyond what the eye can see. The servant’s eyes are opened to a supernatural realm and he is able to see the Lord’s armies gathered to fight on their behalf. Elisha knew his servant was feeling hopeless and simply needed a different perspective.

We need eyes to see just like that servant did. Make no mistake, we are fighting a battle. This battle is intensified when we accept the calling to become a homeschool family and train up our children to know the Lord and become more Christlike. We have an enemy who wants to defeat us. And some days it does seem like he gets the victory. We look around at the failing economy, the fractured families, and the fast pace of our lives and feel that the odds are overwhelmingly against us. We grow weary and feel like giving up.

In those moments we need to stop worrying and pray for a new vision. We need to ask God to change our perspective so that we can look past what we can see and on to what He is taking care of in the unseen. We need to remember to trust Him and to ask Him to help us see His activity—no matter how overwhelmed and unworthy we may feel. God sees us and He will send help when we need it. The odds are never stacked against us because God is waging a battle we can’t see. I love that He is always fighting on our behalf, even when we don’t see it—and especially when we need it the most.

Psalm 20:7, “Some trust in chariots, and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.”

I John 4:4, “You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.”

Marybeth Whalen is homeschooling mom to six children ranging in age from teen to toddler, as well as a speaker for Proverbs 31 Ministries. In her writings, she addresses things like burnout, dealing with interruptions, and handling homeschooling from a very practical perspective. Be sure to visit her blog, Cheaper by the Half Dozen.