2 Kings 6:17-18 -- On Blindness

"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.
And when they came down to him, Elisha prayed unto the Lord, and said, Smite this people, I pray thee, with blindness. And he smote them with blindness according to the word of Elisha."
2 Kings 6:17-18


There is an interesting juxtaposition between different kinds of blindness here.  Elisha's servant was spiritually blind to the superior forces of God, and the opposing army was physically blind when trying to fight against the Lord's will.

Maybe a good thing to consider today is how we are also blind.  Do we, like Elisha's servant, underestimate God's power, in the world and in our own lives, unable to see the spiritual reality?  Do we, like the opposing army, trust in our competence and superiority and forget how physically dependent upon God we are, until something bad happens to remind us?

Today, let's remember our dependence upon God, and give thanks for his blessings in our lives.  Let's realize our blindness, and acknowledge God's hand in our lives, as did the man who had been born blind: "whereas I was blind, now I see" (John 9:25).  With Christ's help we can overcome our blindness and find our way to him.