That We May See
The past couple of weeks in worship at TGPA we have rested on a theme- Open our eyes. Pastor Ginny used a reference in a recent sermon where it is recorded that a great unseen army of the Lord protected the prophet Elisha. Elisha’s servant could not see the heavenly army and was afraid. Elisha prayed this simple prayer, “Open his eyes, Lord, so that he may see.” Suddenly the servant could see that the surrounding hills were full of the Lord’s horses and chariots! (2 Kings 6)
Many times in worship we pray, “Open the eyes of my heart, Lord.” And many times, I believe that the Lord answers our prayer. He allows us to see His Glory and Majesty in that moment, He allows us to realize His immense love for us, maybe He even allows us to know His will for our lives or His guidance in a specific situation. What if we prayed that prayer every day? And what if the Lord answered by opening our eyes to the spiritual reality around us?
Hang with me here- I’m not trying to get mystical or spooky. For example, what if the Lord opened our eyes to the struggles of those around us- that pushy coworker, rude customer, or annoying teenager… How might seeing what God sees change the way we interact with those people? Maybe that coworker needs a friend, or the customer just received terrible news, or the teenager has no one at home who will listen. If we could see the pain behind every crude joke, every condescending comment, and every attention hungry display, I bet we would approach those people differently- extend to them more grace and patience than usual. You know- be a good neighbor.
So, what if as we PRAY for God to open our eyes to the unseen hurts and miracles around us, we also begin to LOOK past what we see on the surface… What if we intentionally look for the spiritual reality around us in our every day situations- a kind of spiritual squint to see what work God might be doing and how we might be able to join in… When we encounter people in our jobs or in our family or visitors to TGPA, let’s pray and squint to see the real stuff .
My prayer for us- will you join me? Jesus, as we engage the people you bring before us EVERY DAY- at work, at school, at home, at church…
Let our minds be in tune with You.
Let our hearts break with Your compassion.
Let our ears hear the cries of the lonely (even when those cries sound rude, critical, shallow, haughty, or annoying)
Let our conversations seek to listen, know, and understand.
Let our hands reach out to help and hold.
Let our eyes be opened, that we may see.
Let it be Lord Jesus!
Love,
Pastor Deb
