“And Elisha prayed, ‘O LORD, open his eyes so he may see.’ Then the LORD opened the servant's eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha”— 2 Kings 6:17 (NIV).

The natural eye of mankind is blind to the things of heaven. Indeed God is everywhere, yet the evil-blinded eyes see Him not. Humans are sinful, blameworthy, fallen; yet they do not see their own condition of sinfulness. They see not their own putrefying sores of gossip, petrifying habits of hypocrisy, and bleeding passions for abject worldliness. Samson, blinded, became a pitiful spectacle—from a judge in Israel, he sank to a wretched slave.

Elisha’s servant had the same problem of blindness until the Lord opened his eyes through His prophet. It’s always important to understand that in the business of sharing Christ with others, it is the Lord alone and not man who can open the eyes of the blind. We can lead the blind, but we cannot make them see. We can place truth before them (made powerful by our own testimony and experience, Revelation 12:11), but we cannot open their eyes. That prerogative belongs only to God.

During this year of special emphasis on evangelism, we must pray Elisha’s prayer: "O LORD, open his eyes so he may see." When we hear loved ones, friends, and neighbors inquiring and searching for truth, we should inquire of the Lord on their behalf. Their cry should call up our cry. Their needs should beckon our support. Remember, even those who see, need more sight. “Open Thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of Thy law”—Psalm 119:18. In the great truths of the gospel there is much latent light. In Christ Himself there are hidden glories (John 12:21).

What an awesome opportunity we have to be an instrument in helping to open the spiritual eyes of those searching for light and salvation. We can do it with a song, a prayer, a testimony, a kind deed, a card, a visit to the sick, an invitation to an evangelistic meeting, or by sharing a tract or book. God has myriad ways to reach hearts that are ready to hear His appeal—the appeal of faith and hope.

Finally, we can be certain that God does actually open peoples’ eyes, both naturally and spiritually. He has done it in a moment as portrayed in the New Testament and also with Elisha’s servant in the Old Testament. And when He does, those who are thus blessed are permitted to see hills full of horses and chariots of fire (a symbol of guardian angels and the presence of God).

A most powerful application of the prophet and servant’s experience may be presented in the understanding that when our spiritual eyes are opened, we will not only see God’s protecting angels in the affairs of His children, but will also see the Father rising from the throne in a chariot of fire—a glorious symbol of His presence—ministering during the second phase of Jesus’ ministry in the heavenly sanctuary! “I saw the Father rise from the throne, and in a flaming chariot go into the holy of holies within the veil, and sit down. . . . Then a cloudy chariot, with wheels like flaming fire, surrounded by angels, came to where Jesus was. He stepped into the chariot and was borne to the holiest, where the Father sat. There I beheld Jesus, a great High Priest, standing before the Father”—God's Amazing Grace, p. 69 and Early Writings, p. 55).

May God attend your evangelistic, soul-winning efforts in 2009. May He give you blazing and amazing success in these closing moments of earth’s history as you witness before God’s throne “filled with horses and chariots of fire.”

Donald G. King is president of the Atlantic Union Conference and chairman of the Atlantic Union College Board of Trustees.