Do You Have Seeing Eyes?
Hear, you deaf! And look, you blind, that you may see. (Isa 42:18)
I’m writing to two kinds of people. Some of you see God very clearly. Some of you are very blind. It is truly an incredible phenomenon.
Perhaps you are one who stands dumbfounded and amazed at how some people seem to be unable to discern the hand of God. Have you ever marveled at what incredible lengths some people will go to to explain things in a way that totally leaves God out of the picture? How can people ignore God? He reveals Himself in such startling and dramatic ways!
Have you wondered how some people can look at pictures taken by the Hubble space telescope and say, “sheer blind chance?” Or look at the fantastic irreducible complexity of the incredibly awesome molecules of life and say, “sheer blind chance?” Or look at a butterfly, a baby, or a sunset and say, “sheer blind chance”? Or consider the amazing “coincidences” of their own lives and say, “sheer blind chance”?
But they do. How can they possibly do it?
But we can go even further…
Have you been dumbfounded by people who say, “Oh, sure, of course I know God exists!” And then go about their lives as if He didn’t?
Isn’t it amazing? How on earth can we blithly and schizophrenically say, “I believe that there is a Creator who made the universe and all that is in it. I believe that He is the Supreme Being Who rules over His creation. I believe He knows everything about me. I believe that He has perfect knowledge and wisdom, absolute limitless power, and incredible love for His creation…. BUT…
“… BUT… I don’t have time to study Him, to worship Him, to love Him, to pursue Him, to listen to Him, to just enjoy His presence.”
How unbelievable is that? How can it happen?
The Bible has some interesting things to say about all this that might help us understand.
This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil. For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. (Joh 3:19-20)
The heart is more deceitful than all else and is desperately sick; Who can understand it? (Jer 17:9)
And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest. (Eph 2:1-3)
Because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse. For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools. (Ro 1:19-22)
We are, by nature, a twisted, perverted, distorted, blind people. We are a people who are consumed by ourselves and our families and our business and our stuff. So consumed with ourselves that we can look at the awesome works of the Creator and stubbornly ignore Him. So perverted that we can actually make ourselves believe that our puny stuff (stuff that quickly vanishes away–just as we ourselves do) is more urgent than being with Him.
We are in love with ourselves and with our people and with our stuff. And we are foolishly persuaded that we know what is best for us. And we think we know it much better than He does.
We trust our puny little brains… especially when we perceive our IQ to be high. High compared to whom? God?
We have desires that we wish to fulfill. And we are not very confident that God would approve of all of them. So it is convenient for us to ignore Him.
How do I know this? Because every now and then one of us gets a glimmer of perspective from God. And we look in His direction. And suddenly… as if in a blaze of dazzling light… we see! And we wonder, “How could I have not seen before? How could I have been so stupidly blind?”
How much do you love yourself? Your people? Your stuff?… And how much do you love God?
Are you willing to accept a challenge? If so, here it is. I’d like to challenge you to pray. Pray something like this… “God, maybe it’s true that I’ve convinced myself that You are irrelevant… or even non-existent. Maybe I’ve rationalized away all Your incredible works with the foolish speculations of so-called highly educated men. Maybe I’ve been blind. If that’s what I’ve done, as honestly as I know how, I’m asking you to remove the blindness and let me see!”
Then I’d like to challenge you to start reading your Bible. Not to critique it. Not to argue with it. Not to ridicule it. But to listen. (If you are up to a real challenge, try Romans!) This is not a challenge for a day. It will take some time. Are you willing?
Perhaps God will give you eyes to see. And if He does, He will blow your socks off! And you will wonder, “How could I have been so blind? How did I miss this?”
But you will overflow with thanksgiving to God for giving you eyes to see!
And when you get seeing eyes, get in the battle! And stay there!
Steve Hall
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Tagged Ark of the Covenant, Tabernacle of David, worship