When Your Eyes Begin to See

Reflection

Do you remember the first time you heard the Gospel of Jesus Christ? Maybe you heard about Him when you were an adult, so you have a clear memory of when someone first told you about Jesus. Or perhaps you grew up in a Christian home and heard the Gospel throughout much of your childhood, but it wasn't until later that you truly believed.

Our stories may be different, but before Christ, our eyes were darkened—hearing the words is only part of the story; God must open our eyes to see.

We could hear the words of the Gospel, but hearing doesn't always mean seeing. We could know the name of Jesus, attend church, read Scripture, or even know many of the stories of the Bible, and still not truly understand who He is or what He had come to do.

That is why Paul's words in Acts 26:18 are so beautiful. Jesus sent him to "open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light." There is something about the Gospel that opens our eyes to a reality we could not see before. Jesus spoke about this kind of ministry in Luke 4:18 when He said that He had been sent to proclaim liberty to the captives and "recovering of sight to the blind." He wasn't merely talking about physical sight; His ministry would bring people out of darkness and into the light of truth.

We can think of having our eyes opened as something that happened once, at the beginning of our faith. We believed, we were saved, and now we simply move forward. But the longer I walk with the Lord, the more I realize that He is continually teaching me to see.

Learning to See His Word

I'm studying Isaiah right now, and I have to tell you, it can be difficult for me. There are mornings when I almost dread getting to it during my devotional time. I read a passage and think, What am I supposed to do with this? There are things I don't immediately understand. There are passages that leave me perplexed, and I can close my Bible wondering if I have really understood what I just read.

But then there are those other days. A verse suddenly becomes clear. Something I have read before takes on a meaning I had never noticed. A passage that seemed difficult begins to make sense, and suddenly I see something that wasn't visible to me before. The words haven't changed—my ability to see has.

Transformation, Not Just Information

And perhaps that is part of the beauty of growing in Christ. The Lord doesn't simply open our eyes and then leave us where we are. He continues to teach us. He continues to illuminate His Word. He continues to expose the places where our thinking has been shaped by the world rather than by His truth.

Paul wasn't sent merely to give people more information. He was sent to turn them from darkness to light. That is transformation. We were once walking in darkness, but Christ called us into His marvelous light. We were once separated from God, but through Jesus we have forgiveness of sins and access to God. We were once influenced by the darkness of this world, but Christ has given us another kingdom, another way of living, and another hope.

So if there is a passage of Scripture you don't understand today, don't give up on it. If there is something God is revealing about your heart that you hadn't seen before, don't run from it. If a truth you've heard many times suddenly becomes clear in a new way, stop and thank Him.

Keep reading. Keep listening. Keep asking God to open your eyes—
the same Lord who opened your eyes to salvation is still teaching you to see.

Before You Go

One of the most beautiful things about belonging to Christ is that the Gospel doesn't simply give us forgiveness and then leave us where it found us. Jesus opens our eyes, turns us from darkness to light, and brings us into a relationship with God. And Acts 26:18 tells us that there is even more awaiting those who belong to Him: "that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me."

We have an inheritance. Think about that for a moment. We aren't simply people who have been rescued from something. Through Christ, we have been brought into something. We have been forgiven, adopted, sanctified, and given a hope that reaches beyond this present life.

There will still be things we don't understand while we are here. There will be Scriptures that perplex us, seasons that confuse us, and circumstances that make us wonder what God is doing. But we don't have to see everything to know that Jesus is faithful.

The One who opened our eyes to salvation is still working in us. So keep reading His Word, even when a passage is difficult. Keep listening when you don't immediately understand. Keep asking Him to open your eyes. There may come a morning when the passage that once seemed so difficult suddenly becomes clear, and you realize that God was teaching you to see all along.

And when He does, don't forget where you came from: You were once in darkness, but Christ called you into His light. And the light you have been given is only part of what He has prepared for those who belong to Him.