Seeing with the Heart

Reading : Ephesians 1:15–23

“I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened.

Ephesians 1:18

Paul prays that believers will truly know what God has already given them in Christ. He thanks God for their faith and love, and then asks that the eyes of their hearts may be opened. Paul is not praying that they will someday receive an entirely new blessing, as if the Christian life cannot really begin until something more happens. He is praying that they will see more clearly the reality that is already theirs. Eugene Peterson captures this beautifully: the gift has already been given. In Christ, we already have what we need to live in faith toward God and in love toward others. Christ has already been raised, enthroned, and given all authority.

It is like standing in a dim room with the curtains half closed, thinking there is very little outside, until someone draws them wide and the whole landscape comes alive with light, color, and detail. Nothing new has been added. The beauty was already there. You simply could not see it clearly. That is what Paul is praying for. Not that God would create a new reality for us, but that He would open the eyes of our hearts to the hope, riches, and power already ours in Christ.

That means the living Christ is not weak, absent, or merely remembered. He is risen, exalted, and reigning. God has seated Him at His right hand, far above every rule, authority, power, and dominion. Christ is above all that frightens us, all that opposes us, and all that tries to define us. He is Lord now. And because He is Lord now, we do not need to postpone joy, obedience, courage, or hope until some future moment. In Christ, the power we need has already been given. To live Christ today is to ask the Holy Spirit to draw back the curtains. We still have much to learn, but we do not grow from emptiness to fullness. We grow from the fullness already given in Christ.

Prayer:
 Lord Jesus, open the eyes of our hearts, that we may see more clearly what You have already given us in Yourself. Draw back the curtains of our doubt, and let the light of Your grace show us the hope of Your calling, the riches of Your inheritance, and the greatness of Your power. Teach us to live today with faith, love, courage, and joy, because You are risen, exalted, and present with Your people. Amen.