I pray that the eyes of your heart …
Summary: Paul is writing from an understanding of our world that may be very different from the view of the world around us. Exploring our inner workings can help us understand why Paul writes what he does.
In Mark’s Gospel account, he records Jesus summarizing the Greatest Commandment this way:
“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.” (Mark 12: 30)
In this short passage, Jesus touches on three invisible qualities of humanity that are worth looking at; our heart, mind, and soul.
You’ve probably heard the expression “mind’s eye” before. It means to visualize something in your mind. For example, if I ask you to imagine holding a million dollars worth of diamonds in your hands, you can probably picture yourself holding out your hands, palms up, with a pile of shiny bits of clear, glittery-white stones in them. The diamonds aren’t real, but in your “mind’s eye” you can still see them.
We have been discussing the possibility of our spiritual sight because Paul has been writing about wanting us to have the “Spirit of wisdom and revelation.” This kind of sight might be referred to as the ‘eyes of the soul,’ the soul being that part of us that continues to live after the body dies (See Job 19:26-27).
Now Paul turns to another kind of sight, the “eyes of your heart.”
There are several possible definitions of “heart” in this context. It is hard, if not impossible, to know exactly what Paul had in mind when he used the word. So let me offer a kind of hybrid definition. “Heart,” in this context, is where the body, mind, and soul overlap. People who “follow their heart” submit their will to this place. People who don’t follow their hearts are at odds with the core of their being.
When Paul talks about the “eyes of the heart” here, he is not speaking to the worldly. Instead, he is talking to the “faithful in Jesus Christ.” (Ephesians 1:1) The “heart” of the worldly is a very different place than those who are in Jesus. Paul, in his letter to the Galatians, writes, “Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts…” (Galatians 4:6). God’s Spirit lives in the center of our being.
Like looking through the “mind’s eye,” we can see through the “eyes of the heart,” too. In my experience, seeing through the eyes of the heart is a very different experience than looking through the mind’s eye.
Paul is about to ask God that the eyes of our hearts would be “enlightened.” We will talk more about what it means to be ‘enlightened’ tomorrow – Lord willing. But for now, consider what it means to see through your heart and why that is different from our mind’s perspective or any other view we might have.
Application: Open your eyes to the possibility that you have different kinds of eyes.
Food for Thought: How does having Jesus in our lives affect how we see the people around us?
How does having Jesus in our lives affect how we see the people around us?
With a little more WKU and compassion. Knowing that every soul matters. We start to learn more to hate the sin not the sinner. Not to judge and to know that everyone is battling something inside whether you can see it or not. If your willing you might be able to help someone put on some unseen armor.
Thank you T. When I look at your life I see you putting what you write here into practice.
Tim,
There is a lot of WKU and compassion in your answer! We all have our struggles inside as you point out.
Matthew 9: 35 – 38; John 4: 7 – 42.
Thank you, Rich!
The Matthew passage is especially telling:
“When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. ”
In the verse prior to this one Matthew talks about the people’s diseases and sicknesses. Instead of being put off by the crowds and their needs, Jesus is drawn to them in love.
03-11-2023, How does having Jesus in our lives affect how we see the people around us?
2 Corinthians 4:18, “So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal” Now How are we supposed to do that?
Believers are no longer of this world, in Christ we have the power of the Holy Spirit to see life differently. Like Elisha’s servant whose eyes were opened so he could see the angels surrounding and protecting them (2 Kings 6). It wasn’t that suddenly those angels were there. They had born there all along and his eyes are opened to actually see the invisible realities of the spiritual world around him.
Christians today can also see more than this physical world as we grow in Christ. If we really believe we’re eternal beings, living forever in a realm where Christ is the power holding all things together (Colossians 1:17). Where Christ brings us great joy, and that righteous living means happiness for all, why wouldn’t we choose to live in Christ-centered righteousness now? Do we somehow miss the fact that Christianity is not a retirement program, but a way of life?
Living in eternity NOW will fill us with a joy and purpose that can sustain us in daily life, even as we are faced with difficult situations
Have you ever purposely sat down beside a dirty, smelly old man because you were drawn to him, listened as he opened his heart to you, and accepted Christ before you parted.
How about getting on an airplane in China, and finding you are seated beside a 1st Lieutenant in the Peoples Liberation Army who speaks perfect English and is embarrased when he see’s my USMC tattoo, explains how he is not in a real army. He is under orders to not speak with any foreigner, and does not know why he is speaking to me. During the course of our flight, he totally degrades himself, and accepts Christ. I’ve been to China a number of times, don’t speak a word of Chinese, and the Lord has used me to lead 4 Chinese to Him.
How about a man who tells me He is really a woman, I ( with some anger in my voice ) tell him it’s all in his head. Then I hear this small voice say “ I got this Ron “, and I stand there as an observer as God speaks to this man through me with love. In the end this man accepts Christ.
In an RV park, I sat at the table eating breakfast and watching an older man have a very difficult time trying to secure a load in his pickup with rope. He was doing it all wrong, and would work for 1 minute, then rest for 2. I was shaking my head, and I heard “ Get out there and help that man. “ God had spoken, I responded, went out, started a conversation, took the rope, totally retied the load and led the man to Christ as we talked.
These are moments in my life illustrating Christ working through me as He reaches out to other people. He is real, He is active and seeks to be seen through each and every one of us now. Christ in us will open doors for others, jump in and help others with their burdens, express His love to the unlovable all around us.
We need to let Him do it.
Ron,
I love reading the stories of Christ in your life that you share. I especially enjoyed the part where the Holy Spirit says, “I got this, Ron.” Isn’t it awesome to be embraced by the Living God?
Yes indeed!
I love it when He uses me for any purpose.
Blessings,
Ron
“We need to let Him do it.” Amen brother