VISION AND HEARING

WHAT DO YOUR EYES SEE? WHAT DO YOU HEAR?

Ephesians 1:18, 19 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, And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power

Our eyes must be opened to see and know what God has for us. This is not a natural or physical opening of eyelids or physical vision. We must hear the word of God and believe the word. We must experience a spiritual opening of our eyes, ears, and understanding that comes through our hearts. We must understand the purpose of the manifestation of the Son of God and know the hope of his calling. Without this understanding, we miss out on the richness of our relationship with God.

Matthew 13:15,16; …seeing they see not, and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand…

20:30- 34 … Have mercy on us, O Lord, thou Son of David. …their eye received sight and they followed Him

Matthew 21:42,43, Mark 12:10-11 … marvellous in our eyes

Mark 8:17-21 ...perceive ye not yet, neither understand? have ye your heart yet hardened? Having eyes, see ye not> and having ears, hear ye not? and do ye not remember?... How is it that ye do not understand?

John 13:35-50…they could not believe…He hath blinded their eyes and hardened their heart; that they should not see with their eyes, nor understand with their heart, and be converted, and I should heal them….And he that seeth me seeth him that sent me…He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him…

Romans 11:8…God hath given them the spirit of slumber, eyes that they should not see, and ears that they should not hear

Acts 26: 1-18 Paul spoke to King Agrippa, giving an account of his vision, mission, and work: To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and an inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith…

Acts 28:24-28 …And some believed the things which were spoken, and some believed not. …Well spake the holy Ghost by Esaias the prophet unto our fathers, Saying Go unto this people, and say, Hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and not perceive: for the heart of this people is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes have they closed; lest they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them… the salvation of God is sent unto the Gentiles, and that they will hear it.

First John 2:24 Let that therefore abide in you which ye have heard from the beginning.

We do not marvel at what we do not understand because we do not know the value of things that we do not understand. We do not persistently ask for what we do not understand. If we know something valuable is in our presence, and will be freely given to us if we ask---would we not ask? Would we not call on the Lord, the Son of David? Would you not ask for mercy? God has given us a gift of salvation through His Son, Jesus Christ. Acts 2:21 says whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.

Having received the gift of salvation, a gift of sight and knowledge to see the whole world differently, would we not follow the one who saved us and gave us this sight and knowledge? Would we not abide in him, as John 15:4-11 tells us? Jesus told us to abide in his love and said These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full. Psalm 16:11 says he will show us the path of life. The same verse tells us that in his presence is fullness of joy.

The more we know about God, the more we want to spend time with Him in meditation on his word as well as in prayer and praise. We connect with His Spirit and are strengthened spiritually by it. We marvel and remain in awe of His love, mercy, power, dominion, and sovereignty, and want to spend even more time with Him. The more time we spend with Him, the more peace and joy we have in Him!

To recognize God’s love, we must be aware of it. We do not always see it in the natural world around us. But the word of God declares it and shows it. I pray that you are encouraged to reach for the word daily and spend time meditating on it. His word lights the way to his presence. I pray that your eyes, ears, and heart are open to receive the word of God and that the word is mixed with faith and obedience. May the God of all peace and grace keep your hearts and minds. This I pray in the precious, mighty, and majestic name of Jesus Christ. Amen.