A friend was telling me how God was showing up in her life. She was amazed at His increased presence.

     “I think He has always been in the details of your life,” I told her. “Perhaps your spiritual eyesight has increased so you are able to recognize the hand of God more often.”

     She considered my comment for a moment, then agreed.

     I have noticed that I see God’s hand more frequently as I draw closer to Him. God tells us this will happen.

“Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.” James 4:8a

I draw close through His Word where I learn about His attributes and ways, prayer where I personally interact with Him, and fellowship with other Christians when we share stories about our Savior.

One of my first glimpses of His divine intervention occurred shortly after my heart opened to Christ and I entered into His presence. The encounter was initiated by email with information about an extension class on creative nonfiction writing offered by the University of California at Davis. I was intrigued, but the class was costly.

     Even though I was a new Christian I had learned to take opportunities to God in prayer before making decisions. As the deadline for the class drew near, I had no clear direction. Finally, I decided to enroll.

     A few days after enrollment had closed I received a phone call from the registrar letting me know not enough students registered so the class was canceled.

     Immediately I knew God had answered my prayer. He is involved in the details of life. As I grow closer to Him, I recognize His intimate involvement in the details more and more.

    Recently I witnessed God’s intervention while copying a Sunday School lesson to distribute to teachers. Halfway through the lesson on the prophet Jeremiah I discovered several pages were missing. I just happened to have another copy of the book due to a shipping error, so I grabbed it. All the pages were there so I could finish the lesson.

     Because the book with the error was shipped to the wrong location the publisher sent a replacement. I ended up with both shipments, and only when I saw the error did I see God’s hand in the situation. Without the second shipment I wouldn’t have had the curriculum I needed. God went before me.

     A favorite section of Scripture for me is 2 Kings 6:11-23, which reveals our need for spiritual eyesight. When the king of Syria sends a great army to capture Elisha the soldiers surround the city during the night. In the morning Elisha’s servant sees the soldiers and panics. Elisha tells the servant not to be afraid for “those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” Elisha asks God to open the servant’s spiritual eyes and as a result the servant sees God’s vast army surrounding them.

     Spiritual eyesight is required to recognize Jesus as the Messiah and walk into the presence of God. At the point of salvation, it is ours.

     The disciples that walked with Jesus on the road to Emmaus did not know who He was until they sat down for dinner and “their eyes were opened, and they recognized him.” [Luke 24:31]

     This spiritual experience is very real to me for this is my story. One moment in time a veil lifted from my eyes, and I recognized Jesus. I knew Him and walked with joy into His presence. Salvation was mine.

     But the development of my spiritual eyesight has been an ongoing process.

In the book of Ephesians Paul said he prayed for them. Part of that prayer was that the eyes of their hearts would be enlightened. [Ephesians 1:18a]

     That is my prayer as well. May our spiritual eyes open so we can see the wonderful works of God’s hand. Will you join me in this prayer?

©2023 Susan Cort Johnson *All Rights Reserved

Let’s Talk:

1-What have you seen with your spiritual eyes that has helped you to be more aware of God’s hand in your life?

2-How are you developing your spiritual eyesight?  

Please share your insights in the comment section below.

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