Seeing the unseen

. . . the eyes of your understanding being enlightened. — Ephesians 1:18

So much of what we pray for has to do with what we see with our eyes. We petition God about our problems, a leaky roof, faulty plumbing, or the need for a new church facility — and that’s all right. We should pray about those things.

But when Paul talked to God about the believers in Ephesus, he didn’t mention their physical needs. Instead, he asked that they would be able to see and understand God’s truth more clearly (1:18). He was asking the Lord to give the Ephesians spiritual discernment in three areas: the hope to which they had been called, the riches of their spiritual inheritance, and the resurrection power that was theirs (vv. 18-20).

These unseen elements are significant because the better we can see with the eye of faith into the invisible, spiritual realm of God, the better we will see the visible world for what it really is. Understanding our hope of eternal life and realizing the wealth of our riches in Jesus Christ will enable us to maintain a proper perspective of this visible world. It will also keep us from being too focused on all the stuff it has to offer.

O Lord, show us those invisible things we need to see and know, which are so much more important than the things we can see. — Dave Egner

Lord, help us see what cannot be seen

With only the naked eye;

So let us look with eyes of the heart

To riches beyond the sky. — Fitzhugh

READ: Ephesians 15-23

You won’t be blind to your spiritual riches if you keep your eyes on Jesus.

The Bible in one year:

• 1 Samuel 1-3