How is your vision?

How is your vision? Are you able to see the things you need to see? Often when people are young good vision is taken for granted and as people age they learn to appreciate what they used to have. Even I have become aware of this. I grew up with excellent vision. I do not really know how good. Sometimes I could read the fine print on the eye test charts. I could always read the bottom row with no difficulty. However at a cdl physical a couple years ago during the vision check I could not easily see the bottom row, in fact of the 8 rows only the first 6 were clear. Now that is still pretty good vision, but not what I used to have. The doctor said my vision was good enough, which was quite a disappointment to me. I am not used to having good enough vision, but I am used to have unbelievably good vision. Over the last couple years that has stuck with me. I wasn’t sure what was going on, if my vision was actually getting worse or if I simply had a weird day where I couldn’t see as well as usual. I have noticed since then that things that I could easily see and read as a child are no longer so clear. Sometimes I have to focus for a second to see things clearly. I am not what I once was.

Now I am very aware that I am still incredibly blessed. I grew up with 2 color blind brothers, one of whom is very severe and basically lives in a grey-scale world, the other who all colors just look a little different and some are indistinguishable from others. My oldest brother has never had any depth perception and grew up wearing large thick glasses. Years ago he got an eye surgery to correct his vision. Before that surgery they tried to do an eye exam but his eyes without his glasses were so bad that they couldn’t really even figure out how bad they were. No wonder he crashed every time he was in a full parking lot. That’s not important to the illustration, I just wanted a chance to make fun of my brother. So I am aware that I am blessed, but the idea of vision has been working its way around in my brain for a while now as my vision begins the sad decline that comes to everyone.

That is physical vision and we rely an awful lot on being able to see. But really I am not worried this evening about your physical vision, but about your spiritual vision. How good is your spiritual vision? Can you see what really matters?

Scripture

2 Kings 6:8–23 KJV 1900

Then the king of Syria warred against Israel, and took counsel with his servants, saying, In such and such a place shall be my camp. And the man of God sent unto the king of Israel, saying, Beware that thou pass not such a place; for thither the Syrians are come down. And the king of Israel sent to the place which the man of God told him and warned him of, and saved himself there, not once nor twice. Therefore the heart of the king of Syria was sore troubled for this thing; and he called his servants, and said unto them, Will ye not shew me which of us is for the king of Israel? And one of his servants said, None, my lord, O king: but Elisha, the prophet that is in Israel, telleth the king of Israel the words that thou speakest in thy bedchamber. And he said, Go and spy where he is, that I may send and fetch him. And it was told him, saying, Behold, he is in Dothan. Therefore sent he thither horses, and chariots, and a great host: and they came by night, and compassed the city about. And when the servant of the man of God was risen early, and gone forth, behold, an host compassed the city both with horses and chariots. And his servant said unto him, Alas, my master! how shall we do? And he answered, Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them. And Elisha prayed, and said, Lord, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the Lord opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha. And when they came down to him, Elisha prayed unto the Lord, and said, Smite this people, I pray thee, with blindness. And he smote them with blindness according to the word of Elisha. And Elisha said unto them, This is not the way, neither is this the city: follow me, and I will bring you to the man whom ye seek. But he led them to Samaria. And it came to pass, when they were come into Samaria, that Elisha said, Lord, open the eyes of these men, that they may see. And the Lord opened their eyes, and they saw; and, behold, they were in the midst of Samaria. And the king of Israel said unto Elisha, when he saw them, My father, shall I smite them? shall I smite them? And he answered, Thou shalt not smite them: wouldest thou smite those whom thou hast taken captive with thy sword and with thy bow? set bread and water before them, that they may eat and drink, and go to their master. And he prepared great provision for them: and when they had eaten and drunk, he sent them away, and they went to their master. So the bands of Syria came no more into the land of Israel.

In this story the servant of Elisha had just fine physical vision. When he opened his eyes that morning he saw the physical danger and he was afraid. He could see the armies of Syria surrounding Dothan and he thought they were in severe trouble. Yet while his physical vision was working just fine, his spiritual vision was no better than the physical vision that the Syrian army would soon have. He could see what the enemy was doing but he missed the provision of God.

I think it is easy for us to be the same way. It is so easy to see the dire circumstances we are faced with. The bad things going on. The disappointments of life, the armies of satan compassed about us. What is harder for us to see is the provision of the Lord. God knows our predicaments. God sees us in our troubles, and God has already provided an answer to the difficulties and troubles! Though we may not see it God is at work. Lord, open our eyes to see your mighty working on our behalf, to see the hedge of protection you have thrown up around us, the guarding presence of your divine armies around us and your strengthening grace within us. Lord open our spiritual eyes so that we may not only see the troubles and trials sent to us by our enemy but so that we may also see your great provision for us.

Matthew Henry sums up this passage this way “What Elisha said to his servant is spoken to all the faithful servants of God, when without are fightings, and within are fears. Fear not, with that fear which has torment and amazement; for they that are with us, to protect us, are more than they that are against us, to destroy us. The eyes of his body were open, and with them he saw the danger. Lord, open the eyes of our faith, that with them we may see thy protecting hand. The clearer sight we have of the sovereignty and power of Heaven, the less we shall fear the troubles of earth.”

Lord help our spiritual vision to be clear.