2 Kings 6:16 (NKJV): So he (Elisha) answered, "Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them."
If there's any 'trademark' set of words that Jesus said (over and over again) in his earthly ministry, I would say it is "Fear not!" For instance, in Luke 8:49-50, when news came that Jairus' daughter was dead, Jesus simply answered, "Fear not; only believe, and she will be made well."
And in John 14:26-27, Jesus said, "But the Helper (Comforter), the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you. Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid." Here, Jesus was actually saying when He goes up, His Spirit (the Holy Spirit) will be with you, so fear not! His Spirit is His presence. In other words, He promised that His presence will always be with you, so fear not!
Let's look now at an Old Testament example. In 2 Kings chapter 6, the king of Syria was planning to war against Israel, and he consulted his servants, saying, "My camp will be in such and such a place." Within his inner circle, he was indeed planning a secret strategy of war against Israel (2 Kings 6:8), but somehow Elisha (the prophet and the man of God) 'caught it in his spirit' and warned the king of Israel beforehand, saying, "Beware that you do not pass this place, for the Syrians are coming down there." (2 Kings 6:9)
Upon knowing that the Israelites had somehow found out their secret plans of war, the king of Syria was greatly troubled, and called his servants and said to them, "Will you not show me which of us is for the king of Israel?" (2 Kings 6:11) He was wondering who was the betrayer among them. And one of the servants then said, "None, my lord, O king; but Elisha, the prophet who is in Israel, tells the king of Israel the words that you speak in your bedroom." (2 Kings 6:12)
And so it was, from then on, Elisha became a marked man, a target of the enemy! In other words, he was deemed to be dangerous to the enemy, and he had to be annihilated! The king of Syria then said, "Go and see where he (Elisha) is, that I may send and get him." (2 Kings 6:13) And it was told him, saying, "Surely he is in Dothan." Therefore, the king of Syria sent horses and chariots and a great army there, and they came by night and surrounded the city (2 Kings 6:14).
So there was Elisha, and the whole army of the enemy went after this one servant of God! A whole lot versus one man! And he didn't even do anything wrong in God's eyes! In fact, he did the right thing by warning the king of Israel of the impending attack! Nevertheless, he did 'ruffle some feathers', and this did not go well with the enemy.
People of God, are you also going through a long night like Elisha was? And in the midst of the darkness that surrounds you, you also feel so lonely and no one seems to understand. Maybe, you have just embarked on something that God has called you to do, and all of a sudden, you find yourself a target of attack by the enemy and his cohorts?
If you are, take heart, because the Lord is here to assure you that even in the darkest of hours, He is still with you and His presence is still with you.
By the way, the name 'Elisha' ('Eliysha/Eliyshuwa' in Hebrew) means 'God of supplication, God who supplies, God who is rich in His supply'. Interestingly, the word 'Syria' actually means 'highland, elevated, citadel (fortress on a high land)' which speaks of 'the haughty, the lofty, the proud of this world'.
People of God, in the midst of the attacks and the darkness that may have surrounded you, God is saying to you that He is still the same God to you as in Elisha's time, a God who supplies, and a God who is rich in His supply (of His help, His wisdom, His favor, and His protection).
Look now how Elisha responded when his servant said, "Alas, my master! What shall we do?" (2 Kings 6:15) And he answered, "Fear not, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them." (2 Kings 6:16) He then prayed for the Lord to open his servant's eyes, and lo and behold, the servant saw 'the mountain full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha'! (2 Kings 6:17)
You see, Elisha chose not to see the enemy's entire army and get himself panicky. He really could have done that! In fact, many people would have done that! But instead, he saw God! People of God, for you too, if only you could see the chariots of fire all around you as well right now! If only you could see that you are never alone! Never alone even a second! If only you could see that His horses and chariots of fire always outnumber the enemy's! The Word of God says, "I will never (by any means) leave you nor forsake you." And if He is for you, who can be against you? (Romans 8:31)
The truth is when Jesus died for you on the cross, He has already also carried your loneliness all by Himself up at the cross, so now you'll never have to be alone. And His Spirit (His presence) is now always with you, never leaving you nor forsaking you.
And He has even carried all your darkest of hours on the cross (there was darkness about the sixth hour until the ninth hour when he was up at the cross alone - see Luke 23:44), so that now you have His light, and will always be in His light, no matter how dark the world outside may be!
Victory is therefore already yours for the taking. He has already won it for you, as He did for Elisha those days (2 Kings 6:8-23). Receive it now by faith. In Jesus' name. Amen!
