Open his eyes

"And Elisha prayed, and said, LORD, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the LORD opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha." 2 Kings 6:17

The servant got up early, went out, and saw the army of the king of Syria that had surrounded the city in the night. Horses, chariots, a whole force, sent for one man. He comes back in a panic: Alas, my master! how shall we do?

His panic is perfectly rational. What he saw is true. He did not exaggerate, he did not miscount. The army is there.

Which is what makes Elisha's prayer so remarkable. He does not ask for the army to disappear. Nor does he ask that his servant calm down, or have more faith. He asks one thing: that his eyes be opened.

Because the servant's problem is not that he sees wrongly. It is that he does not see enough.

The chariots of fire were there before the prayer. The mountain was full of them while he panicked. Nothing was created in verse 17: something was shown.

That distinction changes how you pray for someone. Faced with a man who is overwhelmed, our reflex is to ask that the circumstance change. Elisha asks that the sight change, and leaves the circumstance in place. Indeed the Syrians are still there in the next verse.

We should also say what this text does not promise. It does not promise you will see the chariots. The servant saw them because someone else prayed for him, once, in a particular situation. Most of the time, faith means knowing they are there without seeing them.

Today. Pray for someone whom fear is crushing — and change your request. Not "Lord, take away what frightens him", but "Lord, open his eyes".

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