Open my eyes, that I may see
glimpses of truth thou hast for me;
place in my hands the wonderful key
that shall unclasp and set me free.
Silently now I wait for thee,
ready, my God, thy will to see.
Open my eyes, illumine me, Spirit divine!
Verse 1 from the music and text written by Clara H. Scott, 1841-1897
This classic hymn is one I sang countless times in the Methodist Church in Liberal, Kansas where I first recall being part of a church home. Of course due to my father’s job, we relocated to several different areas in the Midwest and thus I became part of several different church families and this hymn was one that was often sang in those places of worship as well. In many of today’s church settings we have traded classic hymns for the newest and freshest sounds of worship. May we never forget the truth of the hymns that were written as intercessions of prayer to the creator of the Universe.
These lyrics have a very deep meaning and they will greatly impact you if you allow it to soak into your spirit and begin to meditate on what it is saying. It is my desire to simplify it in to more layman’s terms. It is a prayer, much like those that David prayed to God and should be considered as such. We should pray that our spiritual eyes be opened and see past our physical world and look at the things of God differently. We should pray for God to open our spiritual eyes so that we can be set free from having our eyes fixed on something that is not of God. We should pray that we would see how Jesus sees and go beyond what our physical eyes capture: pride, prejudice, judgement, lust.
Psalm 101:3 “I will set no base or wicked thing before my eyes. I hate the work of them who turn aside [from the right path]; it shall not grasp hold of me.”
Psalm 27:8 “You have said, Seek My face [inquire for and require My presence as your vital need]. My heart says to You, Your face (Your presence), Lord, will I seek, inquire for, and require [of necessity and on the authority of Your Word].”
Jeremiah 33:3 “Call to Me and I will answer you and show you great and mighty things, fenced in and hidden, which you do not know (do not distinguish and recognize, have knowledge of and understand).”
This hymn came to my mind when my I learned my 9 year old daughter, Alexis, was going to have to have glasses. It didn’t really soak in until she actually went to get them and began wearing them. It reminded me of when I first had to get glasses and I still remember that day vividly. We had gone to pick them out and once I had them and walked out of the eye store, my eyes literally were opened! We went to Sam’s Wholesale that evening and I was in amazement as to the things I could see and how big it was. I recall hearing my parents comment on how my eyes had been opened to a whole new world.
When my daughter received her glasses this past week, she had an experience much like mine. She kept taking them off and putting them on in amazement of what she could now see. One comment she made was that all the trees along the ridge-row at church used to seem clumped together for her, but now she can see all the details of the leaves and branches. I not only want her physical eyes to be opened to the things around her, but it is my intercession and prayer that her spiritual eyes will be awakened as well. I pray that the Lord will reveal things to her through the Holy Spirit and she will see things He wants her to see. One of my favorite contemporary Christian songs by Brandon Heath called “Open My Eyes” is very powerful and should be our prayer to be the eyes of our Lord and Savior. We should never be satisfied with what we have seen and what we currently see. We need to desire for more of Him and that He will reveal things to us that will change our lives and those around us.
Click on the link below to hear and see the song by Brandon Heath
Open My Eyes by Brandon Heath
Showing posts with label Christ. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Christ. Show all posts
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Day 3
I didn't write anything yesterday mainly because I didn't have anything to write, but also I was busy working on electrical outlets and drywall. I was ready to go to bed when I finished my work last night and decided to just rest instead of writing. Today I went to church hungry for the Lord and expecting to hear from Him and guess what? When we hunger and thirst for the Lord, He does not disappoint. When we come expecting, God shows up. I went expecting and the Lord had a word for me. I had a difficult time getting into worship and then felt the need to leave before the message started because my flesh didn't want to hear what pastor was going to minister on.
I am so glad I don't always follow my flesh and I learn to walk and listen more and more to the leading of the Holy Spirit. Had I left early today I would have missed out. The message was a continuation of last Sunday's message. It was mainly on following the call of God on our lives and listening to His voice and not others. There are too many scripture references to even begin to list, but the main one that was touched on last week and today was John 21:15-22 where Jesus was speaking to Peter and asked if he loved Him and Peter of course replied that he did....the scripture goes on to tell how Jesus asks Peter twice more if he loves Him and in the end Jesus wanted to see where Peter's commitment was and how dedicated to Him he was. He wanted to see what Peter was made of. Pastor spoke on different loves we have and what keeps us from truly loving God. We love stuff, we love people, we love money more often than we love the Lord. We often say we Love Him, but we don't really show it. We say we Love Him, but we aren't being completely honest. We often say things that we don't really mean or cannot commit to. We say that we will serve the Lord in every possible way and that we are ready to be used by Him, but then when He tells us to go somewhere or do something we make excuses. We say we want to spend more time with Him and get into His word, but then when we get home we spend all of our time watching tv or being on the Internet. We say we want to hear from Him, but then we don't fast and pray and seek His voice. The word says to "be still and know that I am God." Psalm 46:10.
Our pastor stated that if he had always listened to his mom, that he would probably have gone to Presbyterian seminary and have been a presbyterian minister, etc. He stated that we must love God more than those around us. We must listen to Him first and foremost and if God is speaking something to us and other's don't agree with it we must follow what He is telling us to do. We cannot always do what is popular or expected. We must be committed to Him and be different. After the message pastor encouraged us to come forward if we wanted to have prayer and hands laid upon us to seek God deeper and go to a higher place with Him. Again, my flesh said I needed to go and leave, but I didn't. I stayed and am glad I did. As I was praying and asking the Lord to just show me what He wants for me and to be more committed in my walk, several began to pray for me and ministering to me. Long story short, one of our elders began to intercede and pray heavily in the spirit for me and then God gave him a word for me. He said that the Lord is forming a stronger backbone in me and that I will walk in a newness and have a boldness upon my life that I have never had before or knew that I had within. I will see things not with my eyes, but with the father's eyes and have a deeper understanding what is around me. There will be things I don't even need to ask for because God will already provide it for me. The majority of what I heard and received was the boldness I will walk in. That confirms some things that have already been spoken over me. I know that there is a boldness that is in me and that is going to be released. Many will not like this, but the Lord has spoken it over me and I will listen and obey.
I have continued to be faithful in my fast from Facebook and television and will continue to fast from these things as well as 1 meal a day to seek the Lord more clearly and hear the voice of the good shepard. I have noticed more of a hunger for Him as I have fasted from these things and know that it is only going to get stronger before my trip to Israel.
It is my desire to hunger more after Him. To let go of my grasp on things and let God be in control.
I am so glad I don't always follow my flesh and I learn to walk and listen more and more to the leading of the Holy Spirit. Had I left early today I would have missed out. The message was a continuation of last Sunday's message. It was mainly on following the call of God on our lives and listening to His voice and not others. There are too many scripture references to even begin to list, but the main one that was touched on last week and today was John 21:15-22 where Jesus was speaking to Peter and asked if he loved Him and Peter of course replied that he did....the scripture goes on to tell how Jesus asks Peter twice more if he loves Him and in the end Jesus wanted to see where Peter's commitment was and how dedicated to Him he was. He wanted to see what Peter was made of. Pastor spoke on different loves we have and what keeps us from truly loving God. We love stuff, we love people, we love money more often than we love the Lord. We often say we Love Him, but we don't really show it. We say we Love Him, but we aren't being completely honest. We often say things that we don't really mean or cannot commit to. We say that we will serve the Lord in every possible way and that we are ready to be used by Him, but then when He tells us to go somewhere or do something we make excuses. We say we want to spend more time with Him and get into His word, but then when we get home we spend all of our time watching tv or being on the Internet. We say we want to hear from Him, but then we don't fast and pray and seek His voice. The word says to "be still and know that I am God." Psalm 46:10.
Our pastor stated that if he had always listened to his mom, that he would probably have gone to Presbyterian seminary and have been a presbyterian minister, etc. He stated that we must love God more than those around us. We must listen to Him first and foremost and if God is speaking something to us and other's don't agree with it we must follow what He is telling us to do. We cannot always do what is popular or expected. We must be committed to Him and be different. After the message pastor encouraged us to come forward if we wanted to have prayer and hands laid upon us to seek God deeper and go to a higher place with Him. Again, my flesh said I needed to go and leave, but I didn't. I stayed and am glad I did. As I was praying and asking the Lord to just show me what He wants for me and to be more committed in my walk, several began to pray for me and ministering to me. Long story short, one of our elders began to intercede and pray heavily in the spirit for me and then God gave him a word for me. He said that the Lord is forming a stronger backbone in me and that I will walk in a newness and have a boldness upon my life that I have never had before or knew that I had within. I will see things not with my eyes, but with the father's eyes and have a deeper understanding what is around me. There will be things I don't even need to ask for because God will already provide it for me. The majority of what I heard and received was the boldness I will walk in. That confirms some things that have already been spoken over me. I know that there is a boldness that is in me and that is going to be released. Many will not like this, but the Lord has spoken it over me and I will listen and obey.
I have continued to be faithful in my fast from Facebook and television and will continue to fast from these things as well as 1 meal a day to seek the Lord more clearly and hear the voice of the good shepard. I have noticed more of a hunger for Him as I have fasted from these things and know that it is only going to get stronger before my trip to Israel.
It is my desire to hunger more after Him. To let go of my grasp on things and let God be in control.
Thursday, May 28, 2009
40 days and counting
40 days from tomorrow I will be headed to Dallas, Texas to catch a flight to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to catch an even longer flight to Tel Aviv, Israel. I can't believe that the trip is almost here and I know before I know it months will have flown by. I am doing something that I have never done and that is to go abroad. I am going to be traveling to Jerusalem, Israel with 18 other men and women who are absolutely in love with Jesus and we are going to share the love of Christ in the same areas where Jesus walked and taught. I knows time have definitely changed, but God has not. He is the same yesterday, today and forever more.
I am not going to prove a point or anything crazy like that. I am going because the one who gave me life has placed a calling on my life. That calling is to serve Him and to be a minister of the gospel. That calling includes sharing the gospel everywhere across this great world. While I know that I can share the gospel right here in Oklahoma...I can also share it across the world as well. The Word of God says GO! and preach the gospel unto all the ends of the earth...from one corner to the other. It did not say to just stay in my comfort zone and where I live, if it did, that would be too easy. We are to stretch ourselves and see what God wants to do with us. He wants to use us in so many ways, but many times He cannot because we have allowed distractions and our own pride to get in the way of His will.
I am done satisfying my own flesh and my own desires. I am done trying to make everyone else happy. I am done doing what the world wants me to do. I am done. It is no longer about me. It is about Him. I must give up myself in order for Him to rise up in me. I must take up my cross daily and follow Him. I am ready to lay down my pride, my desires and sacrifice everything. In order to gain something from Christ, we must be willing to give up something that means something to us. That is why fasting is so important. Fasting is a way for us to get quiet before the Lord and listen. It is a way to mute the distractions and to silence the voices around us. It is a time for us to lay down ourselves so that Christ might rise up in us. If we want to hear from Him and to have Him do something for us...we must give up something that means something to us.
So for the next 40 days before my trip to Israel I will be fasting from things that take my time away from the Lord. I will be fasting from Facebook, television, video games, a good percentage of the Internet other than what I have to use for job searches, etc. and some food. This is to get my mind off the world and more on Him. I want to hear what He has to say.
Not only do I want to hear what He has to say about Israel and the trip, I want to hear what He says about my future job and where He is taking me. I know there will be several who consider me crazy or insane for going on this trip without a job in place, etc. I have news for them, I am still going. God has confirmed for me to go and I am not letting some challenges keep me from what God has for me. God has begun to orchestrate a new beginning in my life. Where one door closed, another is opening. I no longer see myself apart of the corporate world, but apart of the ministry. Where He leads, only He knows right now, but I am definitely seeking Him and His face.
As I was reading this evening I came across a prayer in Jeremiah 32:17-21 that speaks volumes. Jeremiah is praying for understanding from the Lord, much as I am praying for understanding as well. In a nutshell the prayer states that nothing is too hard for God. We should never sell God out and think He cannot accomplish something. The creator of the universe can do anything He so desires. He wants to see so many powerful blessings flow through us, but we must ask and we must seek. As I continued to read I came across one of my favorite passages and it is Jeremiah 33:3, "Call unto me and I will answer thee and I will show you great and mighty things you don't yet know." God just wants to hear from His sons and daughters.
Lord, I am calling upon You and seeking You for wisdom and understanding. I don't know it all. Open my eyes so that I may see, open my ears so that I may hear, open my mind so that I may understand the things You have laid before me. I ask that you would show me the things I don't know already and show me a glimpse of your glory. I want more of You and need more of You. I give you all of me and am willing to lay down my life and sacrifice everything for You.
In the name above all other names!
Amen
I am not going to prove a point or anything crazy like that. I am going because the one who gave me life has placed a calling on my life. That calling is to serve Him and to be a minister of the gospel. That calling includes sharing the gospel everywhere across this great world. While I know that I can share the gospel right here in Oklahoma...I can also share it across the world as well. The Word of God says GO! and preach the gospel unto all the ends of the earth...from one corner to the other. It did not say to just stay in my comfort zone and where I live, if it did, that would be too easy. We are to stretch ourselves and see what God wants to do with us. He wants to use us in so many ways, but many times He cannot because we have allowed distractions and our own pride to get in the way of His will.
I am done satisfying my own flesh and my own desires. I am done trying to make everyone else happy. I am done doing what the world wants me to do. I am done. It is no longer about me. It is about Him. I must give up myself in order for Him to rise up in me. I must take up my cross daily and follow Him. I am ready to lay down my pride, my desires and sacrifice everything. In order to gain something from Christ, we must be willing to give up something that means something to us. That is why fasting is so important. Fasting is a way for us to get quiet before the Lord and listen. It is a way to mute the distractions and to silence the voices around us. It is a time for us to lay down ourselves so that Christ might rise up in us. If we want to hear from Him and to have Him do something for us...we must give up something that means something to us.
So for the next 40 days before my trip to Israel I will be fasting from things that take my time away from the Lord. I will be fasting from Facebook, television, video games, a good percentage of the Internet other than what I have to use for job searches, etc. and some food. This is to get my mind off the world and more on Him. I want to hear what He has to say.
Not only do I want to hear what He has to say about Israel and the trip, I want to hear what He says about my future job and where He is taking me. I know there will be several who consider me crazy or insane for going on this trip without a job in place, etc. I have news for them, I am still going. God has confirmed for me to go and I am not letting some challenges keep me from what God has for me. God has begun to orchestrate a new beginning in my life. Where one door closed, another is opening. I no longer see myself apart of the corporate world, but apart of the ministry. Where He leads, only He knows right now, but I am definitely seeking Him and His face.
As I was reading this evening I came across a prayer in Jeremiah 32:17-21 that speaks volumes. Jeremiah is praying for understanding from the Lord, much as I am praying for understanding as well. In a nutshell the prayer states that nothing is too hard for God. We should never sell God out and think He cannot accomplish something. The creator of the universe can do anything He so desires. He wants to see so many powerful blessings flow through us, but we must ask and we must seek. As I continued to read I came across one of my favorite passages and it is Jeremiah 33:3, "Call unto me and I will answer thee and I will show you great and mighty things you don't yet know." God just wants to hear from His sons and daughters.
Lord, I am calling upon You and seeking You for wisdom and understanding. I don't know it all. Open my eyes so that I may see, open my ears so that I may hear, open my mind so that I may understand the things You have laid before me. I ask that you would show me the things I don't know already and show me a glimpse of your glory. I want more of You and need more of You. I give you all of me and am willing to lay down my life and sacrifice everything for You.
In the name above all other names!
Amen
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