I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints. Eph. 1:18 (NASB)
Except for headlights from oncoming traffic, thick darkness filled our car as we drove home from the airport. While Ken drove, I decided to get caught up on my e-mails. I turned on my iPhone only to discover the display light was so dim that I had extreme difficulty seeing anything written. It was only after I turned the brightness setting up that I could read and respond to the e-mail messages sent to me.
Too often, the eyes of our heart are so dimmed by discouraging circumstances and the unbelief of this world that we cannot see The Truth right before our eyes. As a result, we cannot receive nor respond to God’s message, His Truth, sent to us through His Son Jesus Christ. This is what happened to two of Jesus’ disciples. Because of Jesus’ horrendous crucifixion, death, and burial that they had just witnessed with their natural eyes and processed with their natural reasoning, their eyes could not see the superior reality of the resurrected Christ Who was actually by their side, walking and talking with them.
Without the help of God, the two disciples could not see The Truth. They could not see The Light of Jesus Christ shining in the midst of their darkness. (Jn. 1:5) They could not see Jesus, the One Who was dead, but was now alive, alive forevermore. (Rev. 1:18) It was only when God opened the eyes of their heart, “opened their understanding,” that they knew Him and understood the Scriptures. (Luke 24:25-49)
Knowing God is the deepest need of every person and the deepest need of our nation and our world!
If you are reading or listening to the Bible or Bible-saturated sermons or teachings, but for some reason they are not entering into your heart and making a difference in your life, it is time to pray and ask God to open up the eyes of your understanding, the eyes of your heart, so you can clearly see and experience Jesus Christ, The Word of God, as your living reality.
God can give you “the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him” just as He did for the two disciples on the road to Emmaus. (Eph. 1:17) Knowing God is your deepest need, whether you realize it or not! Moreover, knowing God is the deepest need of every person and the deepest need of our nation and our world!
Because the need to know God is so great in this hour we are now living in, it is crucial for you to prioritize prayer, especially Ephesians 1:17-21, for yourself, your family, your church and your leaders of this nation. Why? So that you and others can know God. So that you can see the “light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” (2 Cor. 4:6) So you can know The Truth and live accordingly.
Take time this week and turn up the brightness setting of your heart and the hearts of many, by prayer-reading out loud God’s Holy Spirit inspired prayer as given to us by the apostle Paul in Ephesians 1:17-21.