Open Our Eyes

Marco…Polo!  As children, we played this game of keep away to entertain us.  As adults sometimes I think we take on this same idea with God.  We call out for Him, with eyes closed, hoping to get to Him, but never quite sure where He is.  Charles Hodge, the author of, “Prayer: the voice of faith” said, “It seems easier to trust God for eternal life than daily life.”  Ouch! That hit right to my heart.  Am I really trusting God to solve my day-to-day issues?  Or am I calling out Marco, Polo, and hoping to catch God on a good day?  I’m afraid that I am often guilty of just that.  One of my favorite passages in the Old Testament comes from 2 Kings 6:8-23 (ESV).  The prophet Elisha and his servant are surrounded by the Syrian army.  It’s a scene from a wild west movie – the enemy is on the rise and Elisha and his servant are in the one-room cabin in the valley (so to speak). However, Elisha knows God, and knows that He’s got this –

¹⁶ He said, “Do not be afraid, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” ¹⁷ Then Elisha prayed and said, “O Lord, please open his eyes that he may see.” So the Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw, and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.”

Oh, how I wish I could see like Elisha!  Flash forward to the New Testament though, and Paul reassures us that we are still on the winning team in Romans 8:31 (ESV)

^“What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?”

Opening our eyes to see God in our daily lives involves reading His word to remind us of His promises.  Romans Chapter 8 is one of the most uplifting chapters in the New Testament.  Paul reminds us that God indeed is here for us day in and day out.  However, if we only have a one-sided relationship through prayer without studying His Word, we might as well be playing Marco, Polo with our eyes closed.  God has so much to tell us if we will be still and listen.  My all-time favorite go-to verse is Romans 8:28 (ESV)

“And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good,for those who are called according to his purpose.”

That small word all in this verse is a reminder that God is indeed interested in my day-to-day life in order to culminate in an eternal life that is worth living with my eyes wide open to God.