Experiencing God's Presence #127

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.

2 Corinthians 4:18, NIV

“Fix your eyes on the unseen.” That’s like telling someone to listen to the silence or taste the air. It sounds like a joke. And it begs an obvious question: how? What eyes do we use to observe the unseen? How do we gaze at what isn’t even visible? If anyone expected an experience of God’s Presence to be simple, verses like this prove that it isn’t. We have to tap into another realm.

Paul isn’t teasing, of course. We can fix our eyes on the unseen. We don’t use the eyes of the flesh, obviously; they’re only good at perceiving visible light reflecting off of concrete objects. But we do have eyes of the heart, the very ones that Paul prayed would be enlightened to perceive God’s wisdom and revelation (Ephesians 1:18). Those eyes can gaze into the eternal realm of spirits, where God and His angels are more real than the world our five senses perceive. When we view life through the eyes of the heart, we are able to recognize God and understand the limits of temporary experiences. We are not overcome by temptation, we endure hardship, we value souls over material things, we seek purpose over passing pleasures, and we draw close to God Himself. We can do all of that because we’re focused on a higher reality than most people see.

The Presence is a palpable reality for those who have cultivated their eyes to see the unseen, and it’s frustratingly elusive for those who haven’t. Improve your vision by choosing God’s truth over human wisdom, by refusing to bow to immediate impulses and demands, by noticing the flow of God’s voice, and by asking Him to help. He loves to give sight to the blind.

Lord, give me eyes to see eternal realities. Change my focus. Divorce me from the tyranny of the tangible—what my physical senses perceive—and give me Kingdom eyes.

From the book