SCRIPTURE:
18 I pray 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 his holy people, 19 and his incomparably great power for us who believe.
Ephesians 1:18-19a
OBSERVATION:
At some point in school, you probably learned about the parts of your heart. You learned that your heart has four valves. It also has four chambers. But did you know that your heart also has eyes?
As the apostle Paul begins his letters to the Ephesians, he writes “I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened.” In Scripture, the word “heart” refers to the innermost part of your being. Your heart is the core of who you are and the center of your life. Paul prays that the eyes of our heart would be opened because far too often, our hearts have no eyes. We feel God, but we don’t see Him. We desire to know God, but we don’t do the work to gain genuine understanding. We brush into Him on a Sunday, but we don’t press in to seek Him with all our heart from Monday through Saturday. On the surface, we can say that we desire to know God, but it is only when the eyes of our heart are opened that we gain true wisdom and understanding of God and His great love for us.
Likewise, in the same way that our hearts can have no eyes, our eyes can have no heart. We look for God seeking head knowledge over heart knowledge. We view God and forget His love for us. We seek Him for blessings, failing to first love Him.
It’s not either eyes or heart; God desires for us to have both eyes that seek Him and a heart that beats for Him. Why? So that “you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe.” God desires for the eyes of your heart to be opened so that you may know the inextinguishable hope that you have, the invaluable inheritance He has given you, and the great power available to you as His child.
APPLICATION:
Have the eyes of your heart been opened? It’s not something that you can do yourself. You’re going to need God’s help. Opening the eyes of your heart begins with a genuine desire to see God, to know God, and to understand His great love for you. Once you have this desire burning within your heart, simply ask God to open them for you, and He will. It’s that simple. God is not an enigmatic God. He’s not like the Wizard of Oz, desiring to be hidden behind a curtain, never to be truly discovered by you. He’s your Father who loves you and desires to be loved by you. He wants you to know His grace and to understand His love.
God does not desire for the eyes of your heart to be closed; He wants them to be opened. Today, allow God to open the eyes of your heart. Desire to genuinely know God more and transform that desire into action. Ask God to open the eyes of your heart, and when He does, use them. Read His Word and see His great love for you come to life as you read each page. Pray to Him and hear Him speak to you as You declare Your love for Him. And go out into the world and see Him in every good and perfect thing, for the evidence of His goodness is all around you. Yes, you might not have seen it before, but once the eyes of your heart have been opened, it’s impossible to look around and fail to see the majesty of God all around you.
PRAYER:
Lord,
You are great and glorious. Today, and every day, would you open the eyes of my heart, for I desire to see You. I desire to know You. I want to understand and experience Your great love for me more and more each and every day. Open the eyes of my heart, Lord––may I see You all around me in 20/20 vision. Give me eyes to see You, ears to hear You, and a heart that seeks only after You.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen
