When life feels uncertain, we’d like confidence and clarity in our faith. But those are sometimes the times when things seem cloudy. Hard times leave us spiritually, mentally, and physically drained. The rejuvenating feeling of sitting with the Father for our quiet time turns into us dazing into the confused spaces of our minds, struggling to concentrate on our prayers and God’s Word. Seeing with eyes of religion during tough times requires us to maintain going through the motions, and repeating the truths we all know, and the work God has already done in our lives. For God guarantees that once we seek Him with all of our hearts, we’ll find Him. Even once we’re drained. Even when it’s hard. Even when it doesn’t feel similar to it does in easier seasons of life.
In the primary book of C. S. Lewis’ Space Trilogy, Out of the Silent Planet, Dr. Ransom is surprised to learn that there are beings on Malacandra that he cannot see. Or somewhat, he doesn’t yet have the power to see. Ransom finds himself on a latest planet and shortly learns that his assumptions were fallacious. The beings should not terrifying, bloodthirsty monsters but living creatures with values and unique skills. Upon hearing of spirit-like beings called the eldila, he questions his friend, Hyoi, why he cannot see them. As Hyoi tells him, “But eldila are hard to see. They should not like us. Light goes through them. You have to be looking in the correct place and the correct time; and that will not be more likely to come about unless the eldil wishes to be seen” (Scribner, 1938, p. 77). Only when Ransom believes in these beings and knows what to search for can he distinguish their presence from the movement of sunshine on the bottom.
We can likewise suffer from spiritual myopia. With eyes shut by fear and unbelief, we fail to acknowledge the Lord’s work around us. All that we concentrate on is the situation that’s causing us difficulties. Yet Scripture helps treatment our shortsightedness by strengthening our faith. We read stories about Elisha or the blind receiving sight, and we’re encouraged to trust in God even when the situations around us seem hopeless or difficult. As we study these events within the Bible, we come away with an increased sense of God’s presence and work in our lives.
Seeing with eyes of religion means trusting that God is present, energetic, and fighting for you even when circumstances make that arduous to acknowledge. This article explores how Scripture trains believers to maneuver beyond fear and spiritual shortsightedness into steadier trust within the God whose work is typically unseen.
What Does It Mean to See with Eyes of Faith?
To see with eyes of religion means to trust God’s presence and guarantees even whenever you cannot physically see what He is doing. It will not be denial or wishful considering. It is the form of spiritual sight that believes God is at work beyond what fear, uncertainty, or appearances suggest.
How Does the Biblical Account of the Prophet Elisha Show Us That God Fights for Us?
Like Elijah and lots of other prophets before and after him, Elisha faced threats from individuals who didn’t appreciate his role. The king of Aram (i.e., Syria) grew suspicious of his men, considering that one in every of them served as a spy for Israel. But they told him that the one reason he kept failing in his attacks was that Elisha knew of his plans. As they said, “Elisha, the prophet who’s in Israel, tells the king of Israel the very words you speak in your bedroom” (2 Kings 6:12, NIV). So, the Aramean king decided to capture Elisha.
The soldiers surrounded the prophet in Dothan. His servant, seeing the vast variety of men and their chariots, grew frightened. He asked Elisha what they might do–surely the 2 of them couldn’t stand against a complete army! But the person of God was calm and affirmed that there have been more on their side than the variety of enemies (2 Kings 6:16-17). What he was essentially saying was, “Have faith, God is on our side.” And then Elisha prayed, not for his own sake, but on behalf of the servant: “Open his eyes, Lord, in order that he may even see” (2 Kings 6:17, NIV). That was when the servant saw, with eyes of religion, the flaming chariots of God’s angelic army surrounding them. There was no reason to fear. Unlike the servant, the soldiers were struck with blindness, though their vision was restored upon Elisha’s prayer. Through Elisha, the Lord led the military to Samaria and peacefully brought an end to the raiding attacks by the Arameans (2 Kings 6:18-23). The great Lord was the One who protected and provided for His people; they needed only to trust Him.
This passage captures the theme of Hebrews 11:1, which describes faith as “confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we don’t see” (NIV). Throughout the Bible, we discover the Lord encouraging people to trust Him, despite not knowing the end result. Abraham trusted God by following His commands to go to an unknown land (Hebrews 11:8). Before engaging in battle to take possession of the Promised Land, Joshua was told to seek out courage within the Lord who went before them (Joshua 1:9). Jehoshaphat and the people of Judah believed that God would fight for them––and He did (2 Chronicles 20:15). It required faith, a confidence that trusts without seeing, for them to imagine that God would fight for them and surround them with His angelic host (Psalm 34:7).
What Does Jesus Teach About Spiritual Blindness and Sight?
Upon noticing a person born blind, the disciples were full of questions. Had the person sinned, or his parents? Surely someone had acted wickedly to end in the infirmity of blindness. However, Jesus quickly corrected their faulty assumptions. As He told them, “It was not due to his sins or his parents’ sins,’ Jesus answered. ‘This happened so the facility of God may very well be seen in him” (John 9:3, NLT). God had planned to make use of this man’s infirmity for His glory. As in 2 Kings 6, sight played a major role in John’s account of the healing of a person born blind. Not just physical sight, however the spiritual ability to acknowledge the working of the Lord. Once the person was healed by Christ, he testified to the reality that he had been blind but now could see. Yet the Pharisees continued to interrogate him. They had the evidence from the person and his parents that he had been born blind and now was miraculously healed, yet they refused to imagine.
In contrast to the Pharisees, who continued in unbelief despite clear facts, the person believed in Jesus and worshiped Him (John 9:35-38). He was blessed because not only had he received sight but had been spiritually enabled to note the works of Christ and imagine in them. The Lord contrasted the faith-filled sight of the person with the supposed sight of the Pharisees: “I entered this world to render judgment—to provide sight to the blind and to point out those that think they see that they’re blind” (John 9:39, NLT). The religious leaders suffered from spiritual blindness since they claimed to have knowledge yet did not notice the Divine Wisdom in front of them. They fulfilled what Christ had mentioned earlier of individuals hearing yet failing to know and seeing yet failing to see (Matthew 13:13-15).
May all of us develop eyes to see the work of the Lord and the willingness to supply our lives as conduits to display His kindness. Whatever hardship or suffering we’re experiencing, our God can use it to bring Himself glory. In turn, we develop into strong once we are weak due to Christ’s work in us (2 Corinthians 12:9-10).
How Can You Develop Eyes of Faith?
Faith will not be merely a blind leap into the darkness; it’s a solid trust within the person of the Lord. Elisha knew the angelic army was around him because he trusted that God would protect him. Likewise, the person born blind who received sight trusted in Jesus, believing that He was the Son of Man who healed people of their infirmities. We truly “see” once we imagine. Charles Spurgeon eloquently described this reality in his sermon “Eyes Opened” in 1908. As he said, “There is a proverb which says, ‘Seeing is believing,’ but that will not be true, for there are various things that we see, which, if we’re sensible individuals, we will not imagine, since our eyes are very apt indeed to be deceived, and optical illusions are quite common. If you switch the proverb round the opposite way, and say, ‘Believing is seeing,’ you’ll often find it comes true.”
We often assume the alternative, believing that we must see with our eyes before we accept anything as reality. In some ways, God does give us physical evidence of His loving presence–we now have the earth and every thing in it to point to His kindness. Our Lord also willingly held out His nail-scarred hands and showed His side to Thomas to point out that He had indeed been physically resurrected (John 20:27). But faith is about believing, and due to this fact truly seeing. As St. Anselm famously wrote, “For I don’t seek to know that I’ll imagine, but I feel so as to understand.”
Spiritual sightedness involves developing a robust trust within the Lord. We hold firmly to the assumption that God is fighting for us even once we cannot see it because His Word affirms that is true. Seeing with eyes of religion requires a firm grasp on the guarantees of Scripture, which give anchors once we feel unmoored in life. The more we study the Bible, the more we’ll trust within the character of our Lord. There are times when God’s power and glory are evident through unlikely sources. Other times, nevertheless, the Lord’s work is unseen. Whether the deeds of our God are evident or not, we will pray, as Elisha did for his servant, to develop spiritual sightedness–– to see with eyes of religion. Then, once we encounter seeming silence from our Savior, we will rest assured that He is at work fighting for us even when we cannot physically perceive it. As Moses said, “The LORD will fight for you; you would like only to be still” (Exodus 14:14, NIV).
How Can You Practice Eyes of Faith This Week?
Practicing eyes of religion often begins with slowing down long enough to recollect what God has already said. Choose one promise of Scripture to return to when fear rises. Pray truthfully in regards to the situation that feels most threatening, and ask the Lord to aid you notice His presence as an alternative of only your problems. Spiritual sight grows as we keep bringing our attention back to God’s character, not only our circumstances.
Frequently Asked Questions About Spiritual Blindness and Spiritual Sight
- What does it mean to see with eyes of religion?
Seeing with eyes of religion means trusting God’s presence, guarantees, and work even whenever you cannot physically see what He is doing. - How do you trust that God is fighting for you?
You trust that God is fighting for you by holding to what Scripture says about His character and care, even when circumstances feel uncertain or threatening. - What does Elisha’s story teach about spiritual sight?
Elisha’s story shows that God’s protection and power might be present even when human eyes cannot yet perceive it. His servant needed faith-filled sight to see that they weren’t alone. - Why is spiritual blindness dangerous?
Spiritual blindness keeps people from recognizing the work of God, even when the evidence is true in front of them. The article contrasts that blindness with the faith-filled sight of the person healed by Jesus in John 9.
For Further Reading
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Source: https://www.christianity.com/wiki/christian-life/how-to-see-with-eyes-of-faith-when-life-feels-uncertain.html
