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Open the eyes of my heart

 The Apostle Paul, when writing the letter to the Ephesians begins by listing several things that have happened to us now that we have trusted Christ: 

  • He has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in Christ (v. 3)
  • He chose us before the foundation of the world (v. 4)
  • He predestined us for adoption to himself (v. 5)
  • In Him we have redemption through His blood (v. 7)
  • The forgiveness of our trespasses (v. 7)
  • In Him we have obtained an inheritance (v. 11)
  • In Him also, you were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit (v. 13) 

Quite a list of fantastic things which came with salvation! 

After Paul rolls out this amazing summary, he pauses for prayer… 

For this reason I too, having heard of the faith in the Lord Jesus which exists among you and your love for all the saints, do not cease giving thanks for you, while making mention of you in my prayers; that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him.  (Eph 1:1-17) 

So, what is the main thing he is praying for the Ephesian believers- that they would have a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him. 

Now that they have trusted Christ, and believed the gospel, his main prayer for them is to truly KNOW GOD.  And he is not talking about intellectual knowledge of God, but rather an intimate, personal, experiential knowledge of God.  And there can be a big difference between knowing a lot ABOUT God and knowing Him in a personal and experiential way. 

 J.I. Packer, in his classic book Knowing God has said, “A little knowledge of God is worth more than a great deal of knowledge about him." 

And this theme is often repeated in scripture.  Jesus, in His high priestly prayer said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify Your Son, that the Son may glorify You, even as You gave Him authority over all flesh, that to all whom You have given Him, He may give eternal life. “This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. (John 17:1-3) 

The essence of eternal life is an intimate, personal knowledge of God, not mere head knowledge.  And Paul in Philippians voiced it this way… 

But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ, and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith, that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death; in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead. (Phil 3:7-11) 

A.W. Tozer, in the opening line of his book The Knowledge of the Holy said, "What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us." 

So, the Apostle Paul, when praying for the Ephesian believers, prays for a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, and goes on to say, "I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened".  Of course, wisdom comes from the Word of God properly applied in our life.  Wisdom is practical understanding.  Revelation is quite different.  When the eyes of our hearts are opened, we will perceive things that were previously obscure.  When God illumines our mind, we will see Him clearly and profoundly.  

Of course, the greatest commandment is to love God… 

“Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” And He said to him, “ ‘YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.’ “This is the great and foremost commandment. (Mt 22:36-38) 

And how can we love Him if we barely know Him? 

 I would propose to you that the supreme quest of your life should be to know God and grow in your understanding of Him. 

So how can we know God better? 

  1. Carve out extended time to read the Word of God, pray honestly and sincerely, and seek after God.
  2. Ask Him to open the eyes of your heart.
  3. Maintain a learner's heart.  Don't assume you know more than you do about Him.
  4. Focus on Christ- "He is the visible expression of the invisible God." (Col 1:15)
  5. Get ready for the greatest adventure the human heart can know! 

For if you cry for discernment, Lift your voice for understanding; If you seek her as silver And search for her as for hidden treasures; Then you will discern the fear of the Lord And discover the knowledge of God. [1] (Pr 2:3-5)

 

 


New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update (La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995)

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