It’s what the Psalmist prayed, “Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things” (Psalm 119:18). It’s also what Paul prayed for the Ephesians, “that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe” (Ephesians 1:17-19). 

My husband returned home from work one evening and asked the kids how their day went.

One of my boys came up to him and said, “God answered our prayer!”

He and I had prayed about a little thing. A detail. We prayed for God’s to work out the kid’s sport’s schedule so that it would be manageable and easier on the family. And he answered it right away.

A Prayer for Eyes that See

John Piper once wrote, “God is always doing 10,000 things in your life, and you may be aware of three of them.” It’s true, I am aware of little that God does in my life. I certainly notice the prayers he hasn’t yet answered. I am well aware of the hard struggles in my day for which I find no relief. I even notice the heavy worry that weighs down my heart over the uncertain future.

But as I learn and grow in my prayer life, I’ve been asking God to show me more of those 10,000 things. I’ve asked him to show me more of his glory, his amazing grace toward me, and the way he works in all the details of my life.

This isn’t a strange prayer to pray. It’s what the Psalmist prayed, “Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things” (Psalm 119:18). It’s also what Paul prayed for the Ephesians, “that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe” (Ephesians 1:17-19).

My prayer journal is filled with the cries of my heart. I write out pages and pages of my worries and fears, griefs and sorrows. Each day, I pen my confession of sin and express my desperate need for God’s grace to cleanse me with the blood of Christ. Included on those pages are also my requests for all those things I want God to do in my life and in the life of others. Whether it is for healing or provision, restoration or salvation, I ask God to work and move in my life and in the life of others.

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