The Eyes of Your Heart
by Gina Witty
Recently, I read something beautiful and poetic a friend had written. This friend does not know Jesus, however the words she wrote of love demonstrated to me that God was making Himself known in a way that she could connect with. I perceived more than the written words.
This got me thinking, how do we perceive, how do we gain insight? The saying “there’s more to it than meets the eye” comes to mind. Insight is far more than just interpreting what the physical eye is perceiving. It takes our knowledge, understanding, our beliefs and experiences and builds a very real picture. This picture can be skewed or distorted if we look only through the lens of the physical but as Christians we are called to ‘see’ differently. The Bible calls it the eyes of our heart:
“I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened…” Ephesians 1:18
I love how this verse is translated in The Passion Translation (TPT)
“I pray that the light of God will illuminate the eyes of your imagination, flooding you with light, until you experience the full revelation of the hope of his calling—that is, the wealth of God’s glorious inheritances that he finds in us, his holy ones!”
Life and its distractions can cause us to look with only natural eyes; we see but don’t perceive, we look but the eyes of our heart are not enlightened. I feel challenged to look at the circumstances in my own life and ask God to flood me with the light of His understanding, His revelation. If I look with my natural eyes, I could see despair, but in God I see hope, I see His promises fulfilled, I see life, I see salvation, I see my friends, family, neighbours and nation turning to Him. I perceive enlightenment and revelation for my brothers and sisters in Christ to live outside the box this world will try and put them in. I see that God is moving in our generation, all that was secure is shaken and hearts are searching – can you perceive it?
This brings me back to my friend. There is little evidence of her turning to God right now but I perceive, through her writing, the echo of my saviour calling out to her from within her culture. We are standing at a turning point. Are we ready to look with the eyes of our heart, see where God is moving and jump right in?
My challenge to you today is this – what are you perceiving for your life or the life of those around you? We need eyes that look, see and understand, and then a determination to act with faith.
I’ll leave you with the words of this famous hymn. Take time to open the eyes of your heart the best way possible – by gazing on Him…
“Turn your eyes upon Jesus
Look full, in his wonderful face
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim
In the light of his glory and grace.”
