Open Our Eyes

Eyesight is such a precious gift. We have the ability to see much every day. Google tells me on the average:

we see 4,000 to 10,000 ads each day.
a person will look upon 3 million faces in the lifetime. Granted some are repeats, but still that is a lot of faces.
we will look at 5-23 websites a day

We are seeing more than we think each day. We depend on our eyesight all day long, without realizing all that our sight takes in each second.

Elisha, an Old Testament prophet, realized the importance of eyesight, that which we see and often cannot see.

Early one morning, his servant came to him to inform him an army with horses and chariots were surrounding them. Alarmed and frightened he asks, “What shall we do?”

Calmly Elisha responds, “Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them” (2 Kings 6:16, NASB).

Obviously, the servant was not seeing the same as Elisha.

“Then Elisha prayed and said, “O Lord, I pray, open his eyes that he may see.” And the Lord opened the servant’s eyes and he saw; and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha” (verse 17, NASB).

But Elisha prays a second time for eyes, only this time it is the eyes of those who would seek to attack.

“Elisha prayed to the Lord and said, “Strike this people with blindness, I pray” (verse 18, NASB).

The army was struck with blindness and Elisha led them into Samaria. When he prayed for their sight to be restored, they realized they were now prisoners themselves.

These two simple, faith-filled prayers were eye opening to me (pun intended) as I read them recently.