From God comes…
From God comes transcendent eyesight. Transcendent means above and beyond the range of normal or merely human experience. In other words, the ability to view the world, our circumstances, or people we meet from a spiritual perspective.
In Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, he asks God to give them a Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so they can know God better. He prays that the eyes of their hearts may be enlightened so they can realize the riches of God’s glorious inheritance for them. (Ephesians 1:17-21) It’s a powerful passage pointing us towards God’s strength, power, might, and promises.
Paul wants their hearts to be enlightened which is another way of saying to open the eyes of their hearts. We have a legally blind woman in our congregation and I’m sometimes moved to tears when I see her raising her hands in worship as she sings, “Open the eyes of my heart, Lord. Open the eyes of my heart.” Her physical eyesight might be weak, but her spiritual eyesight is 20/20.
This kind of vision or perspective can only come from God. We want to see God as He is, not what others perceive He is. We want to see circumstance through God’s eyes, not human eyes. We want to see the spiritual meaning behind the physical situation. Prayer and relationship with God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit is the only way to achieve this sort of transcendent eyesight.
Physically speaking, we have a limited view of the world, a two-dimensional understanding. God’s view gives us spiritual depth perception. It opens our minds, hearts, and eyes to the miracles all around us that may be there, but we don’t recognize them. As Jacob once said, “Surely the Lord is in the place; and I knew it not” (Genesis 28:16). We need spiritual insight to be aware of where God is working all around us, so we can allow Him to work through us to help others.
When the King of Aram sent armies to capture the prophet Elisha, the city was surrounded. His servant was frightened at the site of so many soldiers. Then Elisha said, “Don’t be afraid. Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” Then Elisha asked God to “Open his eyes, Lord, so he may see.” Then God opened his servant’s eyes and he saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire around Elisha. (2 Kings 6:17-18)
Of course, God may not deliver us out of every dire situation the way we wish. However, without this spiritual transcendent eyesight, we forget that what we experience on earth is not as important as the eternal hope we have in Jesus Christ. Inviting Him to be part of every aspect of our physical lives gives Him the opportunity to grant us deeper spiritual understanding. Only God can open the eyes of our hearts to see Him everywhere we go and be present in everything we do.
“Whatever is good and perfect is a gift coming down to us from God…”
~James 1:17 (NLT)
