Faith Science - The Invisible World

Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation, for through him God created everything in the heavenly realms and on earth. He made the things we can see and the things we can’t see—such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world. Everything was created through him and for him. He existed before anything else, and he holds all creation together.

Colossians 1:15-17 NLT

Biblical faith is “complete trust in the invisible evidence provided by the Word of God confirmed by commensurate action.” Based on the Scriptures, there is an invisible world that exists simultaneously with the visible world we live in. In that world are thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities. Thus, if we believe the Word of God, we cannot ignore it. In the same way that Christ is the visible image of the invisible God, what we see in our lives are visible images of what’s happening in the invisible world. Even if we choose not to acknowledge it, our lives are directly affected by what we cannot see with our natural eyes. Now let’s apply this perspective to the following biblical account.

The king of Aram became very upset over this. He called his officers together and demanded, “Which of you is the traitor? Who has been informing the king of Israel of my plans?” “It’s not us, my lord the king,” one of the officers replied. “Elisha, the prophet in Israel, tells the king of Israel even the words you speak in the privacy of your bedroom!” “Go and find out where he is,” the king commanded, “so I can send troops to seize him.” And the report came back: “Elisha is at Dothan.” So one night the king of Aram sent a great army with many chariots and horses to surround the city. When the servant of the man of God got up early the next morning and went outside, there were troops, horses, and chariots everywhere. “Oh, sir, what will we do now?” the young man cried to Elisha. “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 the young man’s eyes, and when he looked up, he saw that the hillside around Elisha was filled with horses and chariots of fire. As the Aramean army advanced toward him, Elisha prayed, “O Lord, please make them blind.” So the Lord struck them with blindness as Elisha had asked.

2 Kings 6:11-18 NLT

When life is seen through the eyes of faith, it is completely different from physical reality. Elisha knew that God’s army was there to protect him, so he had no fear of the Arameans. It didn’t matter to him what his natural eyes could see. As long as God existed, he was safe. His servant, however, was not as confident . He looked up and saw troops, horses, and chariots everywhere, so he responded just like any intelligent human being would. He was panic-stricken. He shared his fears with Elisha, and one of the most amazing revelations in Scripture took place.

Elisha prayed for God to give his servant spiritual vision so he could see into the invisible world. Instantly, his perspective changed. If he thought the Aramean army was impressive, what did he think when he saw the hillside filled with horses and chariots of fire from God’s army? Did they all arrive as soon as the servant’s eyes were opened, or were they already there? Did the fact that they became visible validate their existence? Of course not! The invisible world is real all by itself and can only be seen through the eyes of faith. What happened with Elisha’s servant was necessary for him to believe what Elisha already believed by faith.