Then Elisha prayed and said, “O LORD, please open his eyes that he may see.” So the LORD opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw, and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. 2 Kings 6:17.
A fool finds no pleasure in understanding but delights in airing his own opinions. Proverbs 18:2.
Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 5:18.
And continuing our 351 Old Testament prophecies, promises of God, fulfilled in Jesus Christ, we come to number 169: Blinded to Christ and deaf to His words. Isaiah 6:9-12: He said, “Go, and tell this people: ‘Keep on listening but do not perceive; keep on looking, but do not understand.’ Render the hearts of this people insensitive, their ears dull, and their eyes dim, otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and return and be healed.” Then I said, “LORD, how long?” And He answered, “Until cities are devastated and without inhabitant, houses are without people and the land is utterly desolate, the LORD has removed men far away, and the forsaken places are many in the midst of the land.” And, Acts 28:23-29: When they had set a day for Paul, they came to him at his lodging in large numbers; and he was explaining to them by solemnly testifying about the kingdom of God and trying to persuade them concerning Jesus, from both the Law of Moses and from the Prophets, from morning until evening. Some were being persuaded by the things spoken, but others would not believe. And when they did not agree with one another, they began leaving after Paul had spoken one parting word, “The Holy Spirit rightly spoke through Isaiah the prophet to your fathers, saying, ‘Go to this people and say, “You will keep on hearing, but will not understand; and you will keep on seeing, but will not perceive; for the heart of this people has become dull, and with their ears they scarcely hear, and they have closed their eyes; otherwise they might see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart and return, and I would heal them.”‘ Therefore let it be known to you that this salvation of God has been sent to the Gentiles; they will also listen.”
The Gentiles will also listen. Also. Are we any different when we condemn “others”? Look at our political climate today of “othering” others so they are excluded and seen as less than. Jesus, the Son, came and opened the way for Scripture to be fulfilled, that all nations will be blessed. And until He returns and begins teaching, there will be Jews and Gentiles who long to see and hear – and there will be Jews and Gentiles whose hearts are closed to all that Creator God – Father, Son, Spirit, is doing now. Do we believe God or do we hold as sacred our own traditions and beliefs? We are no different today from the people living then. Jesus came for a reason. To bring us out of the darkness of hate and lies. To bring us into the light of His Truth. Are we willing to be led by the One who created us and all things? The Kingdom of God is real. We would do well to find our bearings in Him just as Elisha knew and enabled his servant to see by praying to God for his eyes to be opened. Our eyes, our hearts, our ears need to be opened – because with God is understanding.
***THE GIVER – Great are You, O LORD! Creator, designer, planner, and the giver and origin of all that is good. Your goodness surrounds me: through the delights of Your creation, through the hands of Your kingdom, through the planning of my family, You have loved and blessed me. Your blessings come freely. Undeserved. No repayment is possible. Guard my heart from the guile of the evil one. Let it overflow with gratitude for Your grace – expressed abundantly in numerous ways. Let my heart be like Paul’s, who worked harder because of Your grace, or like Zacchaeus’, whose heart filled with joy and whose life changed. Your grace was infinitely more valuable to them than silver or gold. Guide my heart in putting Your blessings to work that they may bless others also. Let my hand not grasp them too tightly in fear of losing them. Let them not become more important to me than You, the giver. And when it is time in Your eyes for the blessings to dim and suffering to come (as it does to all), let me forever praise You, my Maker. Let me hold fast to You, the One who loves me. You are the giver of grace in times of blessing, You are the giver of grace in times of suffering. Lisa Sawhill (Athens, Georgia), personal prayer, 2020.***
