The Eyes of Your Heart

I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe.

Ephesians 1:18-19a

The eyes of the mind can grasp the doctrine and teaching about God, for we see with our minds. Perhaps somebody has said something to you and you have replied, Oh, yes, I see what you mean. You didn't see it with your eyes; you saw it with your mind. But Scriptures declares that your hearts have eyes too. And Paul prays that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened.

In the Scriptures the heart is the seat of the emotions. The apostle's prayer is that we may so grasp the revelation that is made to the mind, that it begins to enlighten, move, and motivate our hearts. That is when we become vital Christians — turned on, ready to serve, and highly motivated because we have begun to feel the power and the wonder of the truth that we have been taught.

Paul begins by praying that we might see the hope to which he has called us. This is clearly the hope of being changed into his likeness, the hope of glory. Paul speaks of it many places in the Scripture. He says, For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all, (2 Corinthians 4:17). We must not look at life as the world around us does, as being all that we'll ever get, as the only chance you are going to have to find fulfillment. The world says, If you don't take it now, you are never going to get another chance. I have seen that misunderstanding drive people into forsaking their marriages after 30 or 40 years and running off with another, usually younger, person, hoping that they can still fulfill their dreams because they feel life is slipping away from them.

Christians are not to think that way. We are being told that life is a school, a training period. It is where we are being prepared for something that is incredibly great, but it is yet to come. I don't understand all that is involved in this, but I believe it, and I can hardly wait until it happens. Don't succumb to the philosophy that you have got to have it now or you will never have a chance. You can pass by a lot of things now and be content because you know that what you are getting, what God is sending you in terms of your present experience, is just what you need to get you ready for what he has waiting for you when life is over.

So don't lose hope. You are headed for hope, headed for life, headed for glory. All of this life is working toward that end. You don't need to be depressed or feel that everything is useless, that you can't do anything, you are getting older, you have lost your ability to function, and so on. This is not true. Paul prays that these Christians may feel in their hearts the great hope to which he has called them. It is all waiting for them beyond death, it is the shining hope that they are moving inevitably toward.

Lord, open the eyes of my heart that I might see the power and the wonder of the hope I've been given.