God Speaking

“I pray also 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 the saints”

(Ephesians 1: 18)

We sing a beautiful song at our church, “Open The Eyes Of My Heart, Lord”, which is taken from Paul’s expression in his letter to the Ephesians. It is very thought, provoking if we start to think deeply about it. In our present society, outward appearances assume the upmost focus in our Western world. Constantly the media blasts us with messages of how we look to the outside community in which we live, what clothes we should wear to impress others, not only clothes signs of how successful we are need to be shown by lovely homes, and expensive cars. We must display happiness, even if we are breaking up inside. We are reluctant to show the world our true selves and constantly pretend so we fit into what society expects.

This can also happen in our Christian life. It is very easy for us as Christians to start being influenced by how we appear to other Christians and pleasing them becomes more important than pleasing our Father. We forget that the Lord longs to have a personal relationship with us on a one on one basis as well as loving one another in our Christian family.

In fact, God is not interested in outward appearances at all and he tells Samuel that when he is choosing a king for the Israelites; 

“…The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” (1 Samuel 16: 7)

The Lord, our Saviour, does not want us to dwell on outside appearances. He is more interested in our hearts, in fact David writes a beautiful Psalm about how God knows our inmost being;

“O Lord, you have searched me and know me.” (Psalm 139: 1)

Just as the Lord knows us intimately, he earnestly wants us to know him like that as well. We know that human relationships can remain on a very superficial level and it is not until we share our inmost thoughts and heart felt emotions does a relationship progress to that deep everlasting level and when another person we love, shares with us it deepens even further. The same is true for our walk with the Lord. We need to have our hearts open to hear his deepest, thoughts so they fill our every day lives.

So how do we open the eyes of our hearts to the Lord. When we spend time with the Lord, it is good sometimes to just sit quietly and listen to what he might be saying to us. Most young parents or busy workers are pressed for time, but we can clear our minds when we are doing mundane tasks and leave them open for the Lord. One young lady told me that when she is in the shower, she disciplines herself not to think of the problems of the day, but she has a short prayer to God and then spends time listening to him.

David discovered this;

“How precious to me are your thoughts, O, God! How vast is the sum of them!” (Psalm 139: 17)

A wonderful way to begin a prayer and then to wait and listen to the Lord.