Imagine if you believed that 5 times 5 equaled 20. Every equation you attempted using that calculation would fail. However, when you came to understand the law of mathematics, you would not be deceived by that mistaken belief, and your future calculations would yield correct solutions.

It was no simple math problem that confronted Elisha in the Bible. To fulfill his mission, he needed to understand and demonstrate the real nature of God and His creation—spiritual, harmonious, and wholly good, as presented in the first chapter of Genesis and reaffirmed in Revelation 21. 

Having been an assistant to and protégé of the prophet Elijah, Elisha likely witnessed many examples of God’s power. So, when Elisha’s servant warned him that the king of Syria had sent an army to capture Elisha, the prophet told the young man not to be afraid (see II Kings 6:8–23). In fact, Elisha prayed that God would open his servant’s eyes to see what Elisha saw, the spiritual reality that had always been there, refuting the lie that evil is a power. Evil has nothing to do with the truth of God’s spiritual, good creation, and therefore no basis in reality. Then the servant was able to perceive God’s presence, in the form of what appeared to be chariots of fire surrounding them but were really an expression of God’s all-encompassing care.