This last year I entered a season in which my struggles and pain felt insurmountable. Walls closed around and the odds stacked against me. It was like I was fighting a battle. My enemies surrounded me on all sides. I couldn’t see the end of it and started losing hope that things would get better.

Maybe you’ve been here before, too.

We all go through battles at some point in our lives. Certain hardships are bound to come our way. This is the result of living in a broken world after the Fall in Genesis 3. Sometimes we might even ask if God is still present and why He would allow us to go through such difficulties. I know I’ve spent a fair amount of time angry at the One who is supposedly working all things for His good.

God is Present in the Battles

Throughout time, the Bible records God’s presence in the many wars and battles fought by His people. In 2 Kings 6, the prophet Elisha and his servant encountered an enemy army. His servant, understandably afraid, asked, “Oh, my master, what are we to do?”

Elisha was calm as he responded, “Don’t be afraid, for those who are with us outnumber those who are with them.”

How confusing! The servant looked around to see that no one was around them. The two of them were not equipped to face an army by themselves. But in verse 17, Elisha continued to pray to the Lord,

“Open his eyes and let him see.”

God answered Elisha’s prayer and opened the servant’s eyes. He saw that the mountain was covered with horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. They weren’t alone after all. They had the army of God on their side and God had a proven track record of being victorious.

Elisha didn’t pray that God would get rid of the army in front of them.

He didn’t pray for their present circumstances to go away.

Instead, he prayed for his servant to be able to see reality. God was indeed near and fighting on their behalf even when it didn’t look like it.

That’s the wonderful thing about faith. True faith is unseen. Philosopher Rene Descartes quotes, “Faith is not the imagining of unreal things but is the grip of things which can’t be demonstrated to the senses-yet are real.”

We are called to not be afraid in the face of adversity and instead to have faith in God to lead the way. He gives us the ability to lean on Him through the decisions we make toward our healing and safety.

God is Creative

God the Creator is a creative being. He has the creative freedom to decide how He wants to use situations and resolve problems. We don’t get to say how or when the victory will be won, but we can find hope in the fact that it has already been won for us.

Father God, I pray You will open my eyes to see Your reality that You are at work in my struggles and pain. When it feels like the enemy is on every side, I will trust that You surround me. Thank you for fighting my battles for me and sustaining me with Your strength. Amen.