CHARIOTS OF FIRE ALL AROUND US

by | Jan 10, 2012 | 2012 | 0 comments

One of my favourite movies is Chariots of Fire.

It is about the 1924 Olympics in Paris. It charts the progress of two great British runners, Harold Abrahams (of the Jewish faith), and Eric Liddell (a Christian).  I still feel emotional when I hear its soundtrack by Vangelis, and imagine myself joining the crowd of athletes as they run barefoot along the beach.

For the film the phrase Chariots of fire was taken from William Blake’s poem Jerusalem, which was set movingly to music by William Parry. It, however, did not originate with Blake, and goes all the way back to the Bible.

The context is 2 Kings 6:8-23. It is well worth reading again or for the first time. It is an exciting story and full of ideas for us. I like the way that the prisoners are treated fairly and are given a great feast. As a result reconciliation occurs. But, before all that happens, the servant of Elisha is afraid because a surrounding, hostile army is intent on capturing Elisha. He asks Elisha, “What shall we do?” The response is brilliant: “Those who are with us are more than those who are with them”.

What did Elisha mean? All that could be seen were the horses and the chariots of the advancing enemy. Elisha continued, “O Lord, open his eyes that 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 message was that they had nothing to fear. God was with Elisha and his servant. Victory was theirs.
Perhaps an army of problems seems set to defeat us. We feel dismayed and afraid, just as Elisha’s servant did. The challenge is to see the presence of God in even the direst of situations. Just as God was all around Elisha, so he is all around us. “The chariots of the Lord are tens of thousands and thousands of thousands,” said David. God “gives power and strength to his people” (Psalm 68:17,35).

This was not the first time that Elisha had seen a vision of chariots of fire. He had witnessed one when Elijah was transported to heaven in a whirlwind (2 Kings 2:11). Again the thought was that God surrounds his servants with triumphant glory.

We saw some particularly inspiring moments in the 2012 Olympics, such as occurred in 1924 with Liddell and Abrahams. A number of athletes  beat their own personal best records as well as those of the other competitors. If you’re like me, you might feel slightly intimidated and realize that you would never win any race or event against them. They seem as swift as horses and as strong as charging chariots. To us they may appear unbeatable, just like our problems may also appear unbeatable.

Whatever army of troubles surrounds you, open your eyes. God’s chariots of fire are all around you.

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