Eyes Wide Open
By Annie Yorty
"I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the boundless greatness of His power toward us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of the strength of His might" (Ephesians 1:18-19 NASB).
“Close your eyes. I have a surprise for you!” My daughter blinked, eyes fixed on me. “No, close your eyes,” I said, laughing. “Keep them closed.” She scrunched her face until they almost shut for a second, and then opened wide again. That day I realized my girl cannot voluntarily close her eyes. I have no idea why she can’t do it. I’ve never heard of anyone else having this issue, but her ophthalmologist says it’s no big deal.
In the whole scheme of life, I wouldn’t really call this a problem. It’s mostly an inconvenience. If she wants to shut her eyes, she must cover them with her hands. At bedtime, she needs complete darkness to fall asleep. Putting on makeup requires a bit more finesse. It’s also difficult to protect her eyes from irritants. The eye—such an amazing, complex structure that visually connects the physical world around us to our brains. In poetic language, the Bible says our hearts also have eyes. The eyes of the heart perceive the spiritual world.
In the Old Testament, there’s a story of a prophet named Elisha, whose defenseless city was surrounded by “a substantial army.” The angry king of that army planned to kidnap Elisha to prevent him from helping God’s people. Elisha’s servant quaked at the sight of the enormous force encircling them. He cried, “This is hopeless, my master” (2 Kings 6:15 NASB)! Elisha, though, remained remarkably calm. You see, he saw something with the eyes of his heart that his attendant could not perceive.
“And [Elisha] said, ‘Do not be afraid, for those who are with us are greater than those who are with them.’ Then Elisha prayed and said, ‘Lord, please, open his eyes so that he may see’” (2 Kings 6:16-17a NASB).
I wonder if the sight that greeted Elisha’s servant when God opened his eyes left him speechless. Numerous horses and flaming chariots surrounded them. Elisha did not fear the puny force of the earthly king because he could see the powerful King of heaven defending him.
When Jesus lived on earth, he healed physical blindness. “Then Jesus laid his hands on his eyes again; and he opened his eyes, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly (Mark 8:25 ESV). Not content with just physical restoration, Jesus also came “to shine on those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace” (Luke 1:79 NASB). In other words, Jesus opens the eyes of the heart to spiritual sight.
Elisha’s servant discovered that the world looked significantly different when he saw through the eyes of his heart. When the heavenly realm comes into focus, problems shrink. Provision appears. With spiritual sight, we see the anguish in the heart that spewed angry words. We sympathize with the addict’s chains. We recognize doubt underlying haughtiness and fear of failure behind insolence.
We also realize that Almighty God protects us with His army. Jehovah Jireh provides exactly what we need. Emmanuel stays with us through every circumstance. We radiate hope anchored to the ultimate victory of Jesus. God gives us the ability to see people and problems in the world from His point of view, which includes the thoughts and motives that prompt outward actions. He pulls back the curtain on the heavenly realm to show the big picture.
Have you ever covered your eyes to avoid a scary part of a movie? In the same way, we sometimes deliberately close our eyes to the inconvenient or painful realities that God reveals. Is there any spiritual reality you resist? Perhaps God is nudging you to see and respond to a difficult relationship with His compassion instead of censure. Or maybe the eyes of your heart perceive His guidance for a problem, but you’d rather tackle it your way.
Another prophet of God named Isaiah received a strong vision of the heavenly realm. He saw a royal chamber in the temple with the glorious King seated front and center on His throne. Magnificent, adoring seraphim surrounded God. When Isaiah despaired at his unworthiness to stand in God’s presence, a seraph cleansed him, and God spoke. “Then I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, ‘Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?’ Then I said, ‘Here am I. Send me’” (Isaiah 6:8 NASB)! Isaiah’s unequivocal reply flew out of his mouth. In gratitude for spiritual sight, he surrendered his life to God.
Perhaps we all need to spiritually be a bit more like my daughter’s physical condition—unable to close the eyes of our heart. Unable to turn away from the spiritual realities God reveals. Eager to respond to what we see.
Intersecting Faith and Life:
Have you asked God to open your spiritual eyes? What has he revealed, and how have you responded?
Further Reading:
2 Kings 6:8-17, Isaiah 6:1-13
Photo credit: ©GettyImages/Ekaterina Zolotykh
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