Eyes to See

Job 34:32 NIV Teach me what I cannot see.

There are several definitions, but the most common description of complete blindness is the inability to discern light from darkness. Despite all the 21st-century medical advances, there remains no cure or treatment for blindness, which affects more than 43 million people worldwide.

There are hundreds of miracles recorded in scripture, but only Jesus healed the blind; only Jesus turned darkness into light. In Isaiah 35:5, it was prophesied the coming Messiah would “open the eyes of the blind and the ears of the deaf will be unstopped,” and ten distinct times scripture records Jesus doing what had never been done before. When John the Baptist sent followers to question whether Jesus was truly the promised Messiah, Jesus’ response was, “go tell John what you have seen and heard—the blind see, the lame walk, those with leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised to life, and the Good News is being preached to the poor” (Luke 7:22). But when Jesus talked about blindness, He wasn’t only referring to a physical condition.

Mark 8:14-25 is one of the more unique interactions with the disciples and healing miracles recorded in scripture. The disciples had just witnessed seven loaves of bread multiplied to feed 4,000 people, with seven baskets of leftovers, and “everyone was satisfied.” (Side note: you will never leave the presence of Jesus unsatisfied). After another brief encounter with the Pharisees, they set sail to cross the Sea of Galilee, when Jesus said, “Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees.” The disciples began to argue with each other because they hadn’t brought any bread. Jesus knew what they were saying, so he said, “Why are you arguing about having no bread? Don’t you know or understand even yet? Are your hearts too hard to take it in? You have eyes—can’t you see? You have ears—can’t you hear?”

Don't you love how Jesus helps his disciples move from temporal concerns and physical needs to spiritual and eternal issues? How often do we get bogged down in physical details and lose sight of spiritual truth? All our Lord's miracles were parables in action, pictures of the truth he was attempting to convey, and the disciples were about to get a unique lesson.

“When they arrived at Bethsaida, some people brought a blind man to Jesus, begging Jesus to touch the man and heal him. Jesus took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the village. Then, spitting on the man’s eyes, he laid his hands on him and asked, Can you see anything now? The man looked around. Yes, he said, I see people, but I can’t see them very clearly. They look like trees walking around. Then Jesus placed his hands on the man’s eyes again, and his eyes were opened. His sight was completely restored, and he could see everything clearly.” Now it wasn’t that this was a complicated case or that Jesus needed a second prayer. Jesus was illustrating the conversation from the boat. You can have physical sight and still not see spiritual truths, and like the blind man, we often see with severe nearsightedness. Thus, the Holy Spirit, who leads us into all truth. Without the transforming work of the Holy Spirit, we will fail to clearly see the truths of scripture or hear the voice of the Lord.

The most powerful prayer for any Christ-follower is exactly what Job prayed: “Teach me what I cannot see.” The beautiful conclusion to the Mark 8 account of the blind man was this: “he could see everything clearly.” Pray for eyes to see people and circumstances just as God does. Lord, heal our blindness: give us eyes to see you, ears to hear you, and a heart to obey your Word.

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Gary and Sandy Anthony

Proverbs 20:12 NLT Ears to hear and eyes to see— both are gifts from the Lord.

Ezekiel 12:2 NIV Son of man, you are living among a rebellious people. They have eyes to see but do not see and ears to hear but do not hear, for they are a rebellious people.

Ephesians 1:18-19a NIV I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe.

Acts 26:18 TPT And you will open their eyes to their true condition, so that they may turn from darkness to the Light and from the power of Satan to the power of God. By placing their faith in me they will receive the total forgiveness of sins and be made holy, taking hold of the inheritance that I give to my children!

Deuteronomy 29:4 NLT But to this day the Lord has not given you minds that understand, nor eyes that see, nor ears that hear!

1 Corinthians 2:14 NLT But people who aren’t spiritual can’t receive these truths from God’s Spirit. It all sounds foolish to them and they can’t understand it, for only those who are spiritual can understand what the Spirit means.

1 Corinthians 1:18 NLT The message of the cross is foolish to those who are headed for destruction! But we who are being saved know it is the very power of God.

1 Corinthians 2:9-10 NIV No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no human mind has conceived — the things God has prepared for those who love him— but these are the things God has revealed to us by his Spirit.

2 Kings 6:17 NLT Then Elisha prayed, O Lord, open his eyes and let him see! The Lord opened the young man’s eyes, and when he looked up, he saw that the hillside around Elisha was filled with horses and chariots of fire.

Isaiah 5:21 TPT Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes and see themselves as clever and shrewd.

1 Samuel 16:7 NLT But the Lord said to Samuel, Don’t judge by his appearance or height, for I have rejected him. The Lord doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.

Hebrews 4:13 NLT Nothing in all creation is hidden from God. Everything is naked and exposed before his eyes, and he is the one to whom we are accountable.

Proverbs 5:21 AMP For the ways of man are directly before the eyes of the Lord, And He carefully watches all of his paths.

Jeremiah 16:17 AMP For My eyes are on all their ways; they are not hidden from My face, nor is their wickedness concealed from My eyes.

Psalms 33:18 NIV But the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love.

Matthew 13:12 TPT For everyone who listens with an open heart will receive progressively more revelation until he has more than enough. But those who don’t listen with an open, teachable heart, even the understanding that they think they have will be taken from them.