Pray for Your Eyes to Be Opened
Matthew 6:12 (NLT): “And forgive us our sins.”
Physical eyesight is a very precious and important gift from the Father. It allows us to navigate the world around us. It helps us to appreciate the beauty of creation, and it can increase the enjoyment we share with loved ones. But even as valuable as it is, physical sight pales in comparison to the immeasurable treasure of spiritual sight. Physical sight allows us to see into this physical world, but spiritual sight is exponentially higher. It allows us to perceive the spiritual realm—the unseen realm of God.
2 Corinthians 3:16-18 (NLT) tells us, “But whenever someone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. For the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image.” When we are blessed with spiritual sight, our hearts and minds are opened to the things that cannot be seen with the natural eye—like the incomparable beauty and majesty of God’s Kingdom, spiritual revelation and insight, knowledge about strategies for increase, and wisdom regarding exactly where we should be focusing our prayers. Spiritual sight reveals what is beyond the temporary, material world. It allows us to see what God sees, so we can understand the Gospel and the truth of His purpose for our lives. We can recognize the work of the Holy Spirit and discern the path that God has laid out for us.
Just as physical blindness limits our ability to function in the world, spiritual blindness can stunt our growth and keep us from fully embracing the more-than-abundant life that Christ has made available. There are internal struggles that distort our view of our own sin and prompt us to compromise our stand on the Word. These things cause us to make excuses or think that God has wronged us in some way. Our prayers may be in agreement with our desires, but they may also be out of agreement with God’s Will. Sometimes, there’s a “NO” operating in our souls—a refusal to yield to Him in certain areas of our lives, and this is holding us back from fully operating in faith. We’re clinging to remnants of our ‘old dead life’—the fears and phobias, habits and patterns, insecurities and doubts, and the obsessions and addictions we’ve incubated before we gave our lives over to Christ.
The truth is that sin has rooted itself in our souls, and through our actions, we’ve given it permission to make itself comfortable. We won’t let God touch it, fearing the discomfort of turning it loose. Romans 8:7 (NLT) reminds us, “For the sinful nature is always hostile to God. It never did obey God’s laws, and it never will.” We have to recognize this in our minds and hearts, and crucify the actions, conversations, confessions, thoughts, and feelings that entrap us in a vicious negative cycle.
Repentance and Resistance
We must also realize that the effectiveness, fulfillment, and fruition of our prayer and personal lives are profoundly influenced by the conditions of our souls. When our hearts are aligned with truth and purpose, our prayers become more than mere words; they become powerful expressions of faith and honor of our God. However, if our souls are burdened by deceit or unresolved conflict, this can affect the faith and gratitude we express in our relationship with God. We must recognize that He deserves the highest level of praise and worship. If our motivation is to give Him what He so richly deserves, we must repent, and do so often, and resist the temptations the enemy uses to steal from us.
James 4:7 (NLT) tells us, “So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” Every action has a reaction—a response or consequence, whether it is a good decision or a poor one. God is never at fault for the consequences of our poor decisions and bad behavior. We often say that we know this, but we must really know it in our hearts, so that we are never tempted to blame God for the punishment the enemy doles out.
Christ reminds us of this in John 4:24 (NLT), “For God is Spirit, so those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth.” We create fertile ground for genuine fellowship with God through Christ by nurturing our souls and seeking clarity about where we’ve gone off the tracks. This is why repentance should be a lifestyle for us. It’s not a one-and-done act. It’s a continual process of surrendering our will to God. Jesus Christ makes it clear that true worship comes from a heart that is sold out to God’s Will, and this can only happen when we’re willing to allow Him to be at work internally through our repentance. It involves turning away from sin and turning toward God, recognizing that we have fallen short and need His grace to restore us. It’s deep sorrow for our wrongdoing. Surface level stuff won’t cut it.
Where We Need to Grow
2 Corinthians 4:4 (NLT) says: “Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe. They are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News. They don’t understand this message about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God.” This verse informs us that satan is the God of this world and one of his tricks is to blind the minds of people. Believers and unbelievers alike, both can be spiritually blinded by his deception, especially when their hearts and minds are not guarded by the Word of God.
A blinded mind is a spiritual and mental condition. And to be sure, it doesn’t matter if a person is highly intelligent, successful, and even moral by societal standards, they can still be unable to perceive the truth. A veil is over their understanding, and this means they’re stumbling about in the darkness in some area of their lives.
In Psalm 139:23-24 (NLT), David prayed, “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life.” This is not just about acknowledging our past wrongs but asking God to help us see what needs to change in our hearts today. We need to pray and ask God to open our spiritual eyes so we can see how we’ve veered away from His purpose and where we need to grow. Often, there’s something going on in our hearts that’s blocking us from walking fully in faith. The veil needs to be removed so we can see not just where we’ve erred, but we’re able to see all the wonderful opportunities God has placed in our lives to grow, heal, thrive, and overcome.
Asking our Heavenly Father for forgiveness is the way to keep our hearts soft, pliable, and open to Him. This is a very integral part of our prayer lives where we lay bare before God and come clean about our own shortcomings. We have to acknowledge our sin, because if we don’t, we can’t be as thankful as we should be for God’s grace. Seeking His forgiveness for our sins and asking Him to open our eyes to where we need to grow is so important to our spiritual health. When we put ourselves in check, and remain humble, through Christ, our spiritual sight can be restored. ■
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.
“How to Pray When Life Gets Really Tough – PART 2”, written for Springfield Fellowship © 2025. All rights reserved. All praise and honor to God through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.