"Don't be afraid ... Those who are with us are more than those who are with them." —2 Kings 6:16.

Many of us are prone to discouragement. We are aware of our own weakness, but take little account of the divine power that is able to enlighten and help us. We know all about the strengths of this world, but take little account of the powers of heaven. Earth is so present and dominant that it shuts heaven off from our view. Consequently we are prone to becoming depressed or disturbed, seeing the difficulties, but at the same time being blind to the powerful forces that are available at all times for our assistance.

Our text should help us see that such a state of affairs is—to say the least—unnecessary. For the moment, let's ignore the fact that probably many of our troubles are imaginary, and instead concentrate on noting that we are all guided and protected by an infinite and all-wise providence and at the same time are sustained by a host of heavenly influences. Thus, if we would but avail ourselves of this ever-present help, all our difficulties could be overcome.

Further, this is true on every plane of life. Even on the natural plane it is the Lord's will to make us happy, to guide all our footsteps, and to protect us from every danger. If at times He does not manage to please us or guide us or protect us, it is not because his power is unequal to the task; it is due to our failure to look to him in such a way as to make his power available to us.

Let us review a few of the things we all know and believe: By his incarnation and life in the flesh, the Lord overcame all evil and holds the hells forever subject to his will. He has done all that is necessary for our salvation; and—deep down inside—we all know that if we would give up our selfish thoughts and feelings, no spiritual harm could ever come upon us. We also know with the same assurance that we are continually surrounded and guarded by heavenly influences. Spiritually, we know, it is true that:

"If you make the Most High your dwelling— even the Lord, who is my refuge— then no harm will befall you, no disaster will come near your tent. For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways..." [Psalm 91:9-11]

This is not to suggest, however, that we will somehow magically be exempt from pain, sickness, poverty, misfortune, trial and temptation; but it does mean that none of these things will harm us spiritually. Though we stumble, we will not fall. All things will work together for good. Even in our apparent defeats our enemies will not triumph over us because we continue to believe that divine providence is watching over us.

This earth, we are told, is encircled by heaven, meaning that there is no place on earth where we cannot look up to heaven. In the same way, there is no place where spiritual influences are not around us and within range of our spiritual sight. The world of nature is a picture of the world of spirit. Earth's beauty is due to the fact that it is a natural and external expression of spiritual truth. Part of that truth is that — although intangible to us— spiritual forces not only surround us but they also sustain and uphold us, and we can no more be separated from these spiritual forces than we can from the sky above our heads.

Let us turn to our Old Testament lesson for more insights in this matter: The king of Syria had made war against the king of Israel. Elisha the prophet had repeatedly anticipated the movements of the king of Syria and had warned the king of Israel of his danger. At last the Syrian, having learned the real cause of his continual discomfort, turned his forces against the prophet instead of the king, and surrounded the prophet in the city of Dothan. In the morning, discovering their predicament, Elisha's servant was afraid; but his master prayed, and the Lord opened the eyes of the servant so that he saw into the spiritual world, "and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha."

A parallel instance is found in the New Testament where we are told of the announcement of the birth of the Lord to the shepherds at Bethlehem. There we are told that at first only one angel appeared to the astonished shepherds; but then, "Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, 'Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.'" [Luke 2:13-14]

Notice that in neither of these instances were the subjects of the wonderful visions transported to some distant place; instead, standing in the same spot, they were permitted to see their angelic associates simply by the opening of their spiritual sight.

As we noted earlier, the heavens of this earth surround this earth; and, if our spiritual eyes were to be opened we would see multitudes of spiritual beings near us. Every moment of our lives we are closely surrounded by spiritual beings—and, it should be noted, these include both good and evil spirits—and if our eyes were opened we would be able to see the character of our spiritual associates. Their influence and power extend to the most trivial and minute circumstances of our outward life, from our infancy into our old age. The influences for evil are constantly counterbalanced by the influences for good. Only at times does this divine influence and protection seem to be plainly discernible, but it is nevertheless constantly present with us. "He who watches over you will not slumber." [Psalm 121:3] "The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them." [Psalm 34:7] "The earth is the Lord's, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it. [Psalm 24:1]

It is not possible for anything to happen in any part of the Lord's creation without his provision or tolerance. The moment we question this, we are questioning his power; and the moment we question his power, we are limiting his infinitude and making him less than God. This doctrine is directly taught in the Word. In the Gospels it says that not even a sparrow falls to the ground apart from the will of God; and that even the hairs of our head are all numbered; which means, spiritually interpreted, that not only the most outward events of our lives, to which the hairs of our head correspond, but even the most trivial thoughts that enter and pass through our minds—pictured by the sparrows—are all governed and monitored by the Lord for our greatest good. This is further taught—spiritually referring to our thoughts—in the Psalms, where we read: "He determines the number of the stars and calls them each by name." [147:4] And in respect to our outward actions it is written: "The Lord will watch over your coming and going, both now and forevermore." [121:8]

The power and care of the Lord is further taught by his call and guidance of the children of Israel; in the exodus this took the form of leading them by a pillar of fire by night and of cloud by day. When they kept his commandments he gave them victory over powerful enemies. He manifested his presence with them to David by the saying, "As soon as you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the balsam trees, move quickly, because that will mean the Lord has gone out in front of you to strike the Philistine army." [2 Samuel 5:24] And in the siege of Samaria the Lord "caused the Arameans to hear the sound of chariots and horses and a great army" [2 Kings 7:6] which led them to flee in haste.

These, and numerous other instances which might be quoted, illustrate the presence and power of the Lord for the salvation, guidance and protection of people. Each of these instances as set forth in the Word is intended to teach us spiritual lessons about the way spiritual power works; and this power is as real today as it has ever been in the history of the world. In fact, because of the advent and second coming of the Lord it now reaches deeper and acts more fully.

But, the great truth taught here is not merely that of the existence of spiritual forces—important as that is. The greater truth is that of the superiority of good over evil. "Those who are with us are more than those who are with them." Or, as the psalmist said, "The Lord is with me; he is my helper. I will look in triumph on my enemies." [118:7] (Make that, "I will look in triumph on my spiritual enemies.") Angels, we are told, are invincible because they act from the Lord, who is power itself. But evil spirits really have no power, except that which we foolishly give them by our own love of evil and our own fears.

One thing is certain: "All things work together for good for those who love God." [Romans 8:28]—not always for our apparent or temporal good, but for our spiritual and eternal welfare. Another thing is equally true, namely, that if our hearts were wholly set to do the Lord's will, we should be spared from at least many of our earthly trials; while those seeming misfortunes that sometimes do overtake us would be accepted as means to spiritual growth.

To sum up: there is a very practical lesson in the text, "Those who are with us are more than those who are with them." Good influences are stronger than evil ones. Heaven is superior to hell. The Lord has all power, not only in the other world but in this one. He holds the forces of darkness under his control. He is ever-present, seeking to help the good and the evil alike. We should be able to see this; for, if it were not so, our evil tendencies would lead us and everyone else in the world to sure destruction! The psalmist sensed this when he wrote, "By this I shall know that I enjoy your favor, if my enemy fails to triumph over me. [41:11 (JB)]

Or, finally, as the Lord said to us through Jeremiah: "I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart." [29:11-13]