7WeeksOfSeven (Day2)

The revelation we seek for the new year, the answers to questions we have, the burdens we carry, the areas of vision we need clarity on, it will come. But we must suspend the need for those answers to focus on the greater goal during these 49 days.

And that primary focus is to know Him in a deeper, more intimate way. Moses asked of God, “Show me your glory.” (Exodus 33:18) Glory is the splendor, radiance (light), and majesty that is God, in absolute perfection.

Today, as I continue on with Ephesians 1:18, all I can focus on is this issue of light, “the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints…”

Slow the verse down. The eyes of our understanding (or, literally, our heart) being enlightened.

Have you ever felt the squint of the heart as it beholds the light of His glory? Oddly enough, I’ve noticed it happens to a greater degree when our natural eyes are closed. When other things become dim enough to where our gaze is fixed only on Him and we are not distracted.  

We naturally squint when we walk out into the light of the sun. It’s uncomfortable, and we scramble to find our sunglasses so that we can normalize again. I think we can do that in the spiritual too. But I’ve learned that there’s a degree of discomfort we must learn to breakthrough in prayer and worship – while keeping our natural eyes closed if necessary, for longer than feels normal or comfortable, so that we can perceive this light in the spiritual. Try it, you’ll see what I mean. 

I feel challenged to remain in prayer and worship longer. Long enough to where my heart has to squint. Longer than feels comfortable with my natural eyes closed so that I can perceive spiritually. And I pray that the eyes of my heart, my understanding, would be enlightened by His glory.

Linda G. Riddle