Open the Eyes of My Heart

Bam! week 5 - Brown-eyed girl, a photo by lisaclarke on Flickr.

Ephesians 1:15-19, where Paul is praying for his Christian brothers and sisters, tells us the things that we Christians need.

1. “…that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him.” We need the spirit of wisdom and revelation to know Jesus. In midst of suffering we need to see Jesus, but we can’t without some revelation from God. Next week Jesus will be all over your life, absolutely everywhere, you’ll trip over Him. But will you see Him?
2.  “I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling….” We need the eyes of our heart to be enlightened. We are spiritually blind. Hope is what keeps us whole and away from despair; the worst thing on earth is a life without hope. Jesus offers that hope, but it won’t make a difference if can’t see it.
3. “…what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe.” We need to understand what the inheritance of saints is. We need each other, and we need to always remember how mighty our God is.

Jesus was made perfect (complete) through sufferings. What more did the Son of God need? What could He have been lacking when He came to earth? Read Hebrews 2:14-18. He had to have our experiences. He had to undergo temptations like us in order to become our high priest!

Any attack, offense, or burden that is on us has been on Jesus; we have an intercessor who understands us at the most intimate level. Did you blow it this week? Jesus made propitiation for sins once for all on the cross; He knows we continually sin and He already has it covered. If the eyes of our heart are shut tight, though, we can’t be helped. Jesus is able and willing to help, but if we can’t see Him, understand the inheritance of the saints and God’s power, then it’s all for naught! It’s as if we’ve missed the feast and gone to McDonald’s.

Paul didn’t pray for the Ephesians to have a miracle—we always need miracles—but he prayed that they would know Jesus, see hope, experience fellowship, and witness power. Here’s your homework: ask the Lord to open your eyes this week and help you see Jesus working in your world.