It was a case of two people against an army. Elisha and his servant wake up one morning to find out that the city in which they had slept in, was surrounded by a hostile army. The prophet's servant was shaken but the prophet was not, his reason was strange. He reassures his servant by saying “those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” Here is the account from the Bible.

“When the servant of the man of God got up and went out early in the morning, an army with horses and chariots had surrounded the city. So he asked Elisha, “Oh, my master, what are we to do?” 16“Do not be afraid,” Elisha answered, “for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” 17 Then Elisha prayed, “O LORD, please open his eyes that he may see.” And the LORD opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw that the hills were full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.” (2 Kings 6:15-17)

Both were believers in Yahweh yet both had different perspectives. The servant's perspective primarily included only that which he could see. The prophet's perspective dynamically included the unseen realm as well. Both dimensions are equally real and are really two halves to a whole. However, many go through life conceding validity only to what they can see. The unseen dimension is effectively absent. Many Christians, even though they believe in God, live as though only the seen exists. The Bible calls it walking by sight. As believers we walk by faith and we have strong encouragement.

One of the reasons why people are hesitant to consider the unseen realm is because it is beyond our senses and thereby untestable. Because of this, superstitions, ancient and modern, have sought legitimacy for things ranging from the innocuous to the bizarre.

That is not to say that all that we cannot see has been discounted by those who practiced sound critical reasoning over the centuries. The Greeks, notably Aristotle and Socrates, whose systems of thought has contributed extensively to critical thinking, were clear that there existed the unseen realm. No, it was not because of some vague superstition but because of logical necessity. Here is why. Science is concerned about “what” caused “what?,” otherwise referred to as causality. Aristotle pointed out that all things must come from something that causes them, therefore he called the One who started off the chain of events as the 'uncaused Cause' or the 'Unmoved Mover.'

The universe did not just “happen.” Theories of the universe that posit an explanation from within itself fail when tested with known laws of science. Or speculations like the “M theory” advanced by Stephen Hawking, was shown as inadequate by agnostic mathematician Berlinsky. Quantum Mechanics affirms the standard physics model and the much hyped “god particle' (the Higgs Boson) only proved to stand with the standard physics model.

Life also did not “just happen.” With the advent of DNA research, the evidence overwhelmingly makes a case for an Intelligent Causal Agent (God). DNA research stands opposed to “abiogenesis.” Abiogenesis is a belief that living matter arose spontaneously from non-living matter effected by time, matter and chance.

In the Bible, a function of the created universe is highlighted in Romans 1 as a witnesses for God. In verses 18,19, it is written “...since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. 20 For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.”

So believing in some things that we cannot see is not against reason. We are dependant on the Word of God, to give us clarity regarding those things that we cannot see. Our faith rests on the Bible. We started out with Elisha and his servant, with the natural and the supernatural. These are two parts of a whole as pointed out by Francis Schaeffer in his book True Spirituality. All giants of faith were conscious of this. Here are just a few of them.

In his book “In Pursuit of Maturity” J Oswald Sanders, of Overseas Missionary Fellowship writes: Faith is confidence, reliance, trust. It is the sixth sense that enables one to apprehend the invisible but very real spiritual realm.

Renown missionary David Livingston, while speaking to the students at Glasgow University, said: “Shall I tell you what sustained me during the hardship and loneliness of my exile? It was Christ’s promise, ‘Lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.’”

Walter Hooper, in his preface to C. S. Lewis's book “God in the Dock” writes about the famed Christian author: “Lewis maintained that the Faith stripped of its supernatural elements could not conceivably be called Christianity… His whole vision of life was such that the natural and the supernatural seemed inseparably combined.”

May this be your comfort too. Chris Tomlin echoes this sentiment also.

You hear me when I call, You are my morning song
Though darkness fills the night, It cannot hide the light
Whom shall I fear

You crush the enemy, Underneath my feet, You are my sword and shield
Though troubles linger still, Whom shall I fear

I know who goes before me, I know who stands behind me
The God of angel armies, Is always by my side
The one who reigns forever, He is a friend of mine
The God of angel armies, Is always by my side

May we always walk by faith and not by sight.