“I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he (God) has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people…” |
—Ephesians 1:18 |
Have you ever walked outside from a dimly lit building into the full light of day and suddenly you cannot see? I often experience this more and more since I had cataract surgery a half-dozen years ago. With a fixed lens implanted in each eye, I’ve become much more sensitive to glare.
But, you may have had a similar experience if you leave a movie theater by an emergency exit that leads quite quickly to the outside of the building. Leaving the dim light of the theater and walking into the bright sunshine will often momentarily blind you.
The Apostle Paul expressed a similar concern with respect to our ability to fully perceive the depth of truth contained in the gospel account of the great outpouring of God’s mercy, grace, and love to us through His Son, Jesus. Paul wanted to make certain we fully perceived what God had done for us. Notice Paul’s words, as recorded in Ephesians 1:18:
I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he (God) has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people…
It would be very sad if for some reason we could not clearly see what God has done for us. We would miss the excitement and glory of His great gift in and through His Son. Certainly, we would want to be able to apprehend what God has done for us. That’s why we can fully agree with Paul’s prayer.
As we move out into this new day, let’s join with Paul and ask God to give us the clearest possible vision of what He has done in our behalf. We will be all the better for clearly seeing what He has done for us.
And, may our clearer vision create a joyful and thankful heart in us that we might share our great blessings with everyone who comes across our pathway.