THE EYES OF YOUR UNDERSTANDING

As Christians, just as we have the natural eyes, we have the spiritual eyes. Both of them are very vital because without the natural eyes, you cannot function or transact properly in your world or even see the natural things that reveal the glory of God. Without your sight, you cannot read the Scriptures or relate to the physical world.

However the natural sight is limited because its sensual and temporal. Our spiritual eyes are the eyes of our understanding and if they are not enlightened, we will remain blind to the glory of God.

Reference: Ephesians 1:18 King James Version (KJV)

'The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints.'

Our eyes of understanding have to do with this deeper heart experience with God. It is where we host the glory of God. As a Christian, the problem with your spiritual eyes is not that its blind. It's just that if you lack the light that will enlighten it, you will not see or perceive the things of the Spirit. In other words, if we are not exposed to the true light, our eyes will see darkness and will remain in the dark, in regard to spiritual realities.

It's like being in a dark room with your physical eyes open. You may not see anything in the room, because there's no light in the room, even though your eyes are open. It is the same when it comes to our spiritual eyes. That's the reason the Ephesians 1:18 (AMPC) puts it this way: 'having the eyes of your heart flooded with light, so that you can know and understand the hope to which He has called you...' Therefore, your spiritual eyes need to be flooded with light, in order to know and understand.

In Psalm 119:18, when the Psalmist prayed, 'Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law' (NIV), he meant his 'eyes to be opened to hidden realities'. It didn't mean his inner eyes were blind. He wanted God to reveal deep things, which are beyond what he had already seen or known. Although the psalmist's era preceded Jesus and the New testament gospel, which is prevalent in today's world, he certainly understood the need for our eyes to be opened to understand hidden wisdom in God's Word. In Christ, for us to understand the Scriptures and the hope of God's calling, we need our eyes of understanding flooded with light.

After His resurrection, Jesus met several times with His disciples. On the road to Emmaus, while he walked along with two of them, they didn't know who he was while he taught all about himself from the Scriptures. Only later, when he broke bread with them, were their eyes opened to recognise Jesus, the Saviour (Luke 24:13-35). Then later that same day in Jerusalem, Jesus appeared to all of His disciples. After he opened their eyes to see that he had risen in the flesh, he also opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures (see Luke 24:36-45).

Without our eyes flooded with light, God's Word can become a legalistic code or "do's and don'ts" that measure how we see others and how much we live righteously, according to our works. But with our eyes of understanding enlightened, we behold wondrous things from God's Word, beyond the natural, because the Word is powerful and active.

God graciously reveals His glory to us, through His Word and we are transformed as His glory floods us with light. When our eyes are enlightened, we know the hope and purpose of His calling and we access the riches of the glory of His inheritance.

Scripture Reading - Isaiah 32:3; Proverbs 20:12; Luke 11:33-36; 2 Corinthians 4:6.

Guided Prayer:

Dear Father in heaven, thank you for your Word which grants me spiritual illumination. By your Spirit, you open my eyes of understanding, such that I behold your glory in the Word and live according to the knowledge of divine truths, revealed in my inner man. I receive divine energy in the presence of your light, and as a result, I walk in glory and excellence, in Jesus' Name, Amen!