Can you imagine a better advertising campaign for eye exams than the year 2020? The start of this new decade must be a marketing bonanza for optometrists! As you know, they measure our visual acuity by the clarity of an object we can see from 20 feet away. However, an eye exam involves more than assessing the distance we can see, but also our eyes’ ability to focus and coordinate movement and our peripheral and depth perception.
When I think about our ability to see, I’m reminded of the story of Elisha and his servant in 2 Kings chapter 6. One morning when the servant awakes and walks outside, he is alarmed to see Syrian horses and chariots surrounding the city. He is terrified of an impending capture and asks Elisha what to do. Elisha confidently replies that the Syrians are surrounded by an even larger, more powerful army. Then Elisha prays, “O Lord, please open his eyes that he may see.” Then the Lord opens the eyes of the servant, and he sees a mountain covered by the Lord’s army.
It can be easy for us to become distracted by objects in our periphery and overwhelmed by odds stacked against us. In those times we can either trust the strength of our own experiences and emotions or ask our Father to open our eyes to see him for who he really is. When we begin to clearly see him, the presence and power of the Lord will overwhelm us!
As we begin 2020 at Berean, I pray we will focus on who God is to us, individually and collectively. And God’s Word will bring our vision into focus, so we will know who we are and God’s plans and purposes for us.
