Day 1: Cool Under Fire
2 Kings 6:16-17 (NLT)
""Don't be afraid," Elisha told him. "For there are more on our side than on theirs." Then Elisha prayed, "O Lord, open his eyes and let him see." The Lord opened his servant's eyes, and when he looked up, he saw that the hillside around Elisha was filled with horses and chariots of fire."
Main Idea
Picture this: you wake up, roll over, crack open the blinds — and there's an entire army outside your house. Not just a few people. An army. Sent specifically to take you out.
That's the situation Elisha's assistant walked into one morning. His response? Complete panic. Which, honestly, makes total sense. What do you do when everything around you looks like it's about to collapse?
Here's what's interesting. Elisha didn't panic. He didn't grab his stuff and run. He didn't start catastrophizing about everything that could go wrong. He was calm. And not in a checked-out, "whatever" kind of way — he was calm because he knew something his assistant couldn't see yet.
There was another army on the hillside. An invisible one. One that made the enemy look small.
This week we're going to dig into that story — and into six things it teaches us about staying calm when life feels like it's caving in. If you're the kind of person who tends to spiral when things go sideways, this one's for you. (It's also for me. We're in this together.)
What Else the Bible Says About This
- — God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble
- — Don't be afraid, for I am with you
- — In this world you will have trouble, but take heart — I have overcome the world
Let's Apply This...
Think about one thing in your life right now that's stressing you out — school, a friendship, your family, something you're afraid of. Write it down. This week, we're going to look at that thing through a completely different lens. Don't try to fix it yet. Just name it. Then ask God this one question: "What are you doing that I can't see right now?"
God's Message to You
You came into this week already carrying something. I know what it is. And I need you to understand — the fact that you can see the problem doesn't mean it's the biggest thing in the room.
I am at work in ways you have no grid for yet. The army you're afraid of? I've already seen it, sized it up, and made a plan. You're not going into this alone.
Give me this week. Let me show you something you've been missing.
(Based on ; ; )
Prayer
God, I'll be honest — I'm not naturally cool under pressure. I worry. I spiral. I try to figure everything out on my own. This week, would you start shifting that? Help me see what's on the hillside that I've been missing. I don't want to white-knuckle my way through hard things anymore. I want to trust you. Teach me how. Amen.
Reflection Questions
- When things go wrong in your life, what's your usual first response — panic, shutdown, or something else?
- Elisha was completely calm while his assistant fell apart. Who in your life models that kind of calm under pressure? What do you think makes them different?
- What's one "army" — one problem or pressure — you're walking into this week? What would it look like to face it more like Elisha than Gehazi?