And Elisha prayed, “Open his eyes, LORD, so that he may see.” Then the LORD opened the servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. 2 Kings 6:17 NIV

Last September I went to the Washington DC mall and participated in two simultaneous prayer events, one led by Franklin Graham and the other by Jonathan Cahn, called The Return.. When I returned home, I captured almost 8 hours of The Return on audio and have been listening to prayers of repentance for our personal lives, for America, for other countries and for revival. These were passionate prayers and many people were engaged. At times, I found myself asking, “did it make any difference?”

Don’t get me wrong, I understand how faith and prayer needs to work together. Without faith it is impossible to please God, and faith is the evidence of things unseen. The “seeing part of prayer” is to speak and see those things that are not as though they are. Prayer grabs the promises of God whispered to our spirit and plants the flag in the perceived enemies territory. Then our prayer begins to declare to those all around that this ground now belongs to God. That is faith and prayer in action as it is prompted by a seeing of God’s promises.

Today, I wanted to encourage us that God can open our eyes to see what is not seen. There are battles that we face every day in which we need revelation from God’s perspective. Notice the why questions, “why is the relationship not working? Why can’t I gain control of my finances? Why do I always feel overweight and sluggish? Why can’t I forgive? Why is there so much disunity and hatred? Why are people dishonest? God’s perspective can help with the “Why’s”.

Without faith and the revelation of God’s promises, it would be easy to get stuck. Like Elisha’s servants our eyes can only look as far as the extent of the problem. God sees beyond our problem to the solutions. We need a fresh perspective from God, which is consistent with His character and His ways.

Possible reasons for lack of “opened eyes”

  • Unbelief. In Jesus’ hometown they could not “see” many miracles take place in their midst because of their unbelief. Zechariah went blind after speaking with the angel of God about the birth of John the Baptist, because of his unbelief. Thomas did not believe in Jesus resurrection until he “saw” him and touched him. Repeat as often as needed, “I believe, help my unbelief.”
  • Hardness of heart. This is a refusal to believe. Unbelief stems from the realm of doubt. Hardness of heart grows out of rejection to God’s authority. Embracing personal sin and harboring unforgiveness create the environment for a hard heart. God’s Word has the power to break through this hard ground. Hebrews 4:12
  • Pride causes an unrealistic evaluation of the way things are from God’s perspective. To the church of Laodicea, they think they are rich, but God says they are naked spiritually and blind. He encouraged them to buy spiritual eye salve that they may see properly.
  • Sovereign move of God – Elisha’s servant could see after God opened his eyes. Sometimes we are unable to see from God’s perspective because the revelation remains covered. The disciples heard Jesus tell them that He would die and rise again. Only after His resurrection did they “see” what He was saying to them.

My wife says to me often, “one word from God has power.” This is especially true as it relates to “seeing God’s revelation”. This is especially true when God reveals a promise to our hearts. Stand on what you see from the Holy Spirit.

May God open our eyes to see as He sees. May our prayers rise to the throne, so that mercy falls down. May God continue to grant us hope in the middle of darkness. May He forgive our unbelief, hard hearts and pride. Today, right now, God we ask that you open our eyes as you did for Elisha’s servants so that we may understand your purposes, ways, and callings upon our lives. 

Blessings Love y’all