Andrew Murray, in The Secret of Intercession, starts day two by talking about Elisha's prayers -- first for the God to protect his young servant (and in doing so, allowing him to see chariots of fire and horsemen upon a mountain) and second for the Syrian army, that had been struck with blindness and led into Samaria, to have their eyes open. Murray goes on to talk about the importance of OPENING OUR EYES, "to ask that our eyes may see the wonderful provision that God has made for His church in the baptism with the Holy Spirit" (8) and to ask "that God may open the eyes of those of His children who do not as yet see the power that the world and sin have upon His people" (9).
This opening of our eyes is not just about us seeing what's in the real world, what's going on right before our faces, though this is vital, too. It's also about asking our father to allow us to see in the spiritual sphere as well.
At the end of the day two section, a question is posed: As your eyes are opened to the work God is doing around you, what do you see? How can you join in Christ's work?
When I initially came upon this question a few years ago, I wrote, I see people hurting. I see broken hearts, minds, bodies. Broken families. Broken education. Broken everything. I really want to help women. Young women. Grown women. Mature women. I want to help them, through God, see their worth and move strongly into their lives.
Years later, these answers hold true for me...with a bit more umph than in the past. But I realized that I didn't look to the "...work God is doing around you" part of the question. I know, I know that God is doing amazing works around me. I see them everything in my own walk, I see them when my friends and loved ones tell of the news in their lives. When God is moving, and he's always moving, and you open your eyes to that moving, you can feel and experience all that he offers.
I often ask myself in prayers for God to press himself into me so fully that when I open my eyes, I see things as he does. I think it's part of the reason why I'm such a feeler. I sense a lot of things from others, from the spaces I go into. When others are going through, I feel it as if it's my pain, and it often causes me much physical pain, angst, tears, and the only thing that can alleviate that pain initially is prayer.
Many of the times, it's not something I see see, not with my eyes--if that makes sense. It's always hard for me to explain this part of me, but I know I'm not the only one who gets like this, so I know someone will get it.
Say I'm looking at John. With my regular eyes, I see John at a table, laughing, cracking jokes, being the life of the party at the table where he sits. Nothing on the surface shows anything. Yet with my spiritual eyes, I feel the pain that lies beneath that surface. Something's going on. I may not know what it is, but I can feel it and it gets heavy on me, and it makes me cry, and makes me feel sick to my stomach, and makes me nauseous, and whatever else emotions and reactions that what's truly going on brings about.
In the moment, I immediately ask God to dispatch angels, to alleviate the pain, to help me use the power given to me by him to pray, to do what I need to do on my part to help.
Because of this way of seeing, I see, so often, the pain of others. So when I see the question above, when it asks "what do you see", I see the pain and suffering. When I read an article, or see a news story on the tele, or hear a story from a friend, etc., I can taste the pain in those circumstances and want to help eradicate the pain. I often get very upset and become unwell when I think I can't help, when I allow my human self to ask, "How can I, one person, do anything?"
But with prayer, with faith, with action, we can do all things because Christ strengthens us.
And I want to join in Christ's work by helping others. God has given me gifts, and I know that I can utilize those gifts in a Christian, faith-based way, to reach others.
Andrew Murray, in This opening of our eyes is not just about us seeing what's in the real world, what's going on right before our faces, though this is vital, too. It's also about asking our father to allow us to see in the spiritual sphere as well.
At the end of the day two section, a question is posed: As your eyes are opened to the work God is doing around you, what do you see? How can you join in Christ's work?
When I initially came upon this question a few years ago, I wrote, I see people hurting. I see broken hearts, minds, bodies. Broken families. Broken education. Broken everything. I really want to help women. Young women. Grown women. Mature women. I want to help them, through God, see their worth and move strongly into their lives.
Years later, these answers hold true for me...with a bit more umph than in the past. But I realized that I didn't look to the "...work God is doing around you" part of the question. I know, I know that God is doing amazing works around me. I see them everything in my own walk, I see them when my friends and loved ones tell of the news in their lives. When God is moving, and he's always moving, and you open your eyes to that moving, you can feel and experience all that he offers.
I often ask myself in prayers for God to press himself into me so fully that when I open my eyes, I see things as he does. I think it's part of the reason why I'm such a feeler. I sense a lot of things from others, from the spaces I go into. When others are going through, I feel it as if it's my pain, and it often causes me much physical pain, angst, tears, and the only thing that can alleviate that pain initially is prayer.
Many of the times, it's not something I see see, not with my eyes--if that makes sense. It's always hard for me to explain this part of me, but I know I'm not the only one who gets like this, so I know someone will get it.
Say I'm looking at John. With my regular eyes, I see John at a table, laughing, cracking jokes, being the life of the party at the table where he sits. Nothing on the surface shows anything. Yet with my spiritual eyes, I feel the pain that lies beneath that surface. Something's going on. I may not know what it is, but I can feel it and it gets heavy on me, and it makes me cry, and makes me feel sick to my stomach, and makes me nauseous, and whatever else emotions and reactions that what's truly going on brings about.
In the moment, I immediately ask God to dispatch angels, to alleviate the pain, to help me use the power given to me by him to pray, to do what I need to do on my part to help.
Because of this way of seeing, I see, so often, the pain of others. So when I see the question above, when it asks "what do you see", I see the pain and suffering. When I read an article, or see a news story on the tele, or hear a story from a friend, etc., I can taste the pain in those circumstances and want to help eradicate the pain. I often get very upset and become unwell when I think I can't help, when I allow my human self to ask, "How can I, one person, do anything?"
But with prayer, with faith, with action, we can do all things because Christ strengthens us.
And I want to join in Christ's work by helping others. God has given me gifts, and I know that I can utilize those gifts in a Christian, faith-based way, to reach others.
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