Eyes of the Heart

In his letter to the Ephesians, Paul tells his friends that he prays that the eyes of their hearts may be enlightened or opened. (1:18)

Isn't that an interesting concept: the eyes of our hearts.

Not the physical eyes of our bodies that see physical things around us -- lamps, chairs, trees, birds. . . but the "eyes of our hearts" that can discern deeper things, spiritual matters, eternal truths.

Jesus talked about people who have eyes but don't see. It's entirely possible to have 20/20 vision but not be able to see the truths of the Bible. It was possible for people to go out of their villages to see Jesus but not see who he was/is. It's possible for people today to see Jesus as an historical figure but not see him as Lord of life.

Think about the two on the road to Emmaus, who didn't recognize Jesus as they walked along with him. They saw a man, a traveling companion, but they didn't see him as Jesus -- until their eyes were opened.

In the beatitudes, we are told that the pure in heart will see God. I believe that this promise refers not to physical sight, but to that sight that discerns more than physical things, the ability to see God at work in our everyday experiences.

I love the old testament story about Elisha's servant who is afraid of the huge enemy army that has surrounded them. From my viewpoint, the servant has reason to panic -- he sees a large number of bad guys, armed to the teeth and intent on doing harm to him and the prophet. All human logic was on the side of the servant and his apparently justified fears.

But Elisha comforts him and prays that God will open his eyes so that he can see. God grants this prayer, and the servant sees the hills filled with horses and chariots of fire. Then he understands what Elisha meant when he had said, "Those who are with us are more than those who are with them." 2 Kings 6

The same is true for us. When we look at circumstances with our physical eyes and our human logic, we are fearful. When we focus on the difficulties that surround us, it is easy to lose heart. That's why the Hebrews writer tells us to fix our eyes on Jesus. (12:2)

These are the eyes of our heart. These are the eyes of faith. These are the eyes that God can open to recognize his son and to assure our confidence, our hope.

This gives wonderful meaning to the words of the song we often sing . . . "Open the eyes of my heart, Lord, open the eyes of my heart! I want to see you. I want to see you . . . "