In Ephesians 1, the apostle Paul warmly greets the Ephesians with a prayer. In this prayer Paul writes, “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, and his incomparably great power for us who believe (Ephesians 1:18-19). As believers we have the ability, through the Holy Spirit, to open the eyes of our hearts to see beyond our circumstances. When the eyes of our hearts become enlightened, when we view our circumstances from God’s perspective, then we will truly be able to see.
In order to see with our hearts we have to see the Word of God. The knowledge of God’s Word has to penetrate our hearts so that it is all we see when we face difficulties. When our situations or circumstances look bleak to our natural eyes, we have to turn to the Word of God to see what God has to say about them. We then have to see ourselves as God’s Word says we are and allow that to be our focus over whatever the circumstances look like. For example, many believers live with fear, but the Word of God clearly states, “God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7).” The Amplified Bible says these abilities result in a calm, well-balanced mind and self-control. When we see ourselves as powerful, loved, and having a calm, well-balanced mind we can then defeat our fears.
It may look like problems follow you wherever you go. In every direction you look it may seem like you are surrounded by defeat. It may even look like defeat has taken up permanent residence within you, but as you open the eyes of your heart, God’s truth will become your reality. See the Word of God and let that be your guide. In 2 Kings 6, the Arameans were making war on Israel and the prophet Elisha was able to guide the king of Israel away from the Arameans. The king of Aram was enraged about this and sent his army to seize Elisha. When Elisha woke up one morning he looked out and saw the Aramean army surrounding the city. His servant, seeing the impossibility of the situation, was distraught. Elisha told his servant to not be afraid because he saw that God’s army was in place. Elisha prayed and asked the Lord to open his servant’s eyes so that he may also see (2 Kings 6:17). “And the Lord opened the servants eyes and he saw; and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire surrounding Elisha (2 Kings 6:17).” God opened the servant’s eyes so he could see the hope that was before him.
When we are faced with difficulties, or even as we go about our everyday routines, we need to see with our hearts the hope that is before us. It may look like you are surrounded by defeat when you look at your circumstances, but when the eyes of your heart are enlightened you will see the truth of the situation through God’s Word. The cross has the final say in every situation we could find ourselves in today, we just need to stand firm in the victory that Jesus gave us on the cross. To do this we have to see the Word of God and put our faith in God’s truth. Look with your eyes, but see with your heart.
The Truth in Action: Do you have an issue that you are currently facing but looking at with only your natural eyes? What does the Word of God say about the issue you are facing? Find scriptures that deal with the issue you are facing and meditate on those scriptures until the Word is all that you see.
Meditate on Scripture: 2 Corinthians 4:6 – For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ.
Further Study: Read Acts 14:8-10. Was Paul looking with his eyes or seeing with his heart in verse 9? Explain your reasoning.