“Open my eyes, Lord”

Scripture:

Ephesians 1:17-18
(TM) But I do more than thank. I ask--ask the God of our Master, Jesus Christ, the God of glory--to make you intelligent and discerning in knowing him personally, (18) your eyes focused and clear, so that you can see exactly what it is he is calling you to do, grasp the immensity of this glorious way of life he has for Christians,

Ephesians 1:17-18
(NIV) I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. (18) I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints,

Observation:

Paul wrote this letter to the Ephesian believers and all other believers to give them in-depth teaching about how to nurture and maintain the unity of the church. He wanted to put this important information in written form because he was in prison for preaching the Good News and could not visit the churches himself. The words "in Ephesus" are not present in some early manuscripts. Therefore, this was very likely a circular letter. It was first sent to Ephesus and then circulated to neighboring local churches. Paul mentions no particular problems or local situations, and he offers no personal greetings.

Paul had been a Christian for nearly 30 years. He had taken three missionary trips and established churches all around the Mediterranean Sea. When he wrote Ephesians, Paul was under house arrest in Rome (see Acts 28:16). Though a prisoner, he was free to have visitors and write letters.

In our verse today, Paul prayed for the believers to know God better. How do you get to know someone? By reading biographical information or historical data about him? That will help you know a lot about that person, but it won't enable you to actually know him. If you want to get to know someone, you have to spend time with that person; there is no shortcut. The same holds true with God. Reading the Bible, great works of theology, and devotional material is wonderful, but there is no substitute for knowing God personally. What about you? Do you really know God, or do you just know about him? The difference is in spending time with him. Study Jesus' life in the Gospels to see what he was like on earth two thousand years ago, and get to know him in prayer now. Personal knowledge of Christ will change your life.

Application:

The most frequent miracle Jesus performed was opening blinded eyes.

In one case He touched a blind man who exclaimed, "I see men as trees, walking" (Mark 8:24). In other words, "I'm better than I was. I can see something, but I can't quite discern what it is." So Jesus touched him again, clearing his perceptions, removing his limitations, setting him free to become the man God called him to be.

There's a lesson here for each of us. Without a vision you'll stumble through life, blind to:

(a) who God is, and what He can do;

(b) who you are, and what you can accomplish in His strength.

Edison saw incandescent light before the first bulb ever glowed. Bill Gates saw a PC in every office and home even while experts were announcing, "Not in our lifetime." Forty years before the first Israelite ever set foot in it, Moses saw the Promised Land (Hebrews 11:27).

God can be doing all sorts of things around you, yet you don't see them because you're spiritually blind. Remember the two disciples on the road to Emmaus? It was only after Jesus had walked with them for seven miles, explaining the Scriptures to them, that we read: "Their eyes were opened and they recognized Him" (Luke 24:31).

How does God reveal Himself to us? In cathedrals and conferences? Sometimes. But mostly He opens His word and our understanding, and we begin to see Him at work in a way we never have before.

So take a moment today and pray Psalm 119:18, "Lord, open my eyes that I may see."

Prayer:

"Lord, please open the eyes of my understanding. May I see You like I have never seen you before. May my eyes be focused and clear so I can see what you have for me today. I desire to see You at work in and through my life today, I acquiesce to Your Spirit, in Jesus' name, amen!"