Lord, Open Our Eyes by Bridget A. Thomas

There is a story in the Old Testament that I love, found in 2 Kings 6. First a little backstory. The king of Aram did not like the prophet Elisha because Elisha was always one step ahead of him. When the king of Aram would plan to attack Israel, Elisha knew what he was up to and would warn the king of Israel. One day the king of Aram was fed up with Elisha and decided to go after him. But in 2 Kings 6: 14-17, it says:

Then he sent horses and chariots and a strong force there. They went by night and surrounded the city. When the servant of the man of God got up and went out early the next morning, an army with horses and chariots had surrounded the city. “Oh no, my lord! What shall we do?” the servant asked. “Don’t be afraid,” the prophet answered. “Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” And Elisha prayed, “Open his eyes, LORD, so that he may see.” Then the LORD opened the servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.

I like this story because it reminds us that God has angels surrounding us and protecting us. And indeed Psalm 91:11 also confirms this by saying, “For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways.”

But there is something else that I have been focusing on in this story lately. The simple prayer of, “Open his eyes, LORD, so that he may see.” Lately I have been asking God to open my eyes in new ways. I want to see His goodness around me. I want to see His presence in my life. I want to see His love and care. I want to see His footprints all around me.

I fear we may miss out on so much that God wants to reveal to us, merely because we are not looking. Our eyes are closed, in a sense. Or we are focusing on the wrong things. Our lives keep us busy and distracted. Slowing down and turning our attention to the things of God will help open our eyes in a new way. Let us pray that the Lord will open our eyes.

Dear Heavenly Father, we pray that you will open our eyes in a new way. Help us to see Your goodness around us. Help us to be more aware of Your presence in our lives. Help us to fully embrace Your love. Help us to realize that Your footprints are on every detail of our lives. Help us to slow down so we can eliminate the things that are distracting us from You. Help us to focus on only the things You want us to focus on. And help us to fix our eyes on You. Thank You, Lord. It is in Jesus’ holy name that we pray, Amen.

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© 2021 Bridget A. Thomas