THE EYES OF THE HEART by Jim Cymbala

It is possible to find a relatively new believer in the mountains of Peru who understands more about the Bible than a theologian with a PhD. In fact, that uneducated Peruvian may not just know more about the Bible, but he also may know the Lord in a way that the Greek or Hebrew scholar doesn’t. Remember, it was Jesus who rejoiced and said:

“I praise You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because You have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children” (Luke 10:21, emphasis mine).

PRAY BEFORE READING THE WORD

It is easy for many of us to approach the Word of God daily with little dependence on the Holy Spirit. Often, we don’t pray before we read the Bible even though we need God’s help to understand His Word. The smarter and more educated we are, the harder it is for us to come as children, trusting the Spirit to make the Word real. We must have the Spirit’s help, and if we ask in faith, He will help us.

The psalmist prayed:

“Open my eyes, that I may see wonderful things in Your law” (Psalm 119:18).

Notice that the prayer doesn’t ask for open eyes to “read Your law” or even to “understand Your law.” No, the psalmist’s prayer asks God for something we rarely think about when we open the Word: “Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in Your law.” He wasn’t talking about his physical eyes, he was talking about the eyes of his heart.

CONSTANT REVELATION

We all have two sets of eyes. We have the eyes in our head, and we have the eyes of the heart, which the Bible refers to in many places (for example, Ephesians 1:18). The process of seeing spiritual things through the eyes of the heart, not merely the mind, is called “revelation.” This is not some wild and woolly, holy-roller craziness. It’s an everyday working of the Holy Spirit in all who desire it.

Jim Cymbala began the Brooklyn Tabernacle with less than twenty members in a small, rundown building in a difficult part of the city. A native of Brooklyn, he is a longtime friend of both David and Gary Wilkerson.