“Wow, l can read that sign! When did we get that new restaurant? Woah, I can see that person walking across the street!”
A trip to the optometrist confirmed that I had needed major vision correction, so after wearing my new glasses for the first time, a whole new world seemed to suddenly appear right before my eyes.
As Christians, we often find ourselves in a similar situation. We know we don’t see God’s truths clearly, yet we don’t carefully examine His Word for more revelation and better understanding. Truth is, we don’t ask the Lord to open our eyes to see, our ears to hear and our hearts to receive the hidden things of God, so no wonder we stumble around in the dark.
In the book of Ephesians, we read Paul’s continual prayers for the church of Ephesus, for he knew how fickle the human heart could be, turning away from freedom in Christ to slaves of their old, sinful lives.
Ephesians 1:17-22, outlines what God reveals to us when we ask Him to open our eyes and focus on the Lord Jesus Christ:
1. God invites us into a more intimate relationship with Himself.
“I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better.” Ephesians 1:17
Thirteen chapters in the book of Hebrews argue that Christ is better than anything or anyone who came before Him. In the Old Testament, God’s presence wasn’t with His people like it is now. He resided in the Holy of Holies, in the Tabernacle, and rested on certain persons for certain times. Only the High Priest, once a year, could commune with the LORD and intercede for God’s people.
God’s gift of salvation through Christ’s death and resurrection is, in itself, enough to make us overwhelmingly grateful, but, before ascending into Heaven, Jesus left another gift, the Holy Spirit to reside in His children.
The Holy Spirit convicts of sin, grants us wisdom, and guides us as we study the Scriptures. We need not worry that God’s presence will depart from us because Christ dwells in our hearts through faith (Ephesians 3:16-17). We don’t need a prophet or a priest to hear from God because the Holy Spirit renews our hearts and minds when we read the inspired and inerrant Word of God. We can engage in a personal relationship with the glorious Father by the power of the Holy Spirit and faith in Christ’s atoning work on the cross.
Laura R Bailey 
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