HELP ME SEE JESUS!

EPHESIANS 1:17-19: “I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, would give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened so that you may know what is the hope of his calling, what is the wealth of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the mighty working of his strength.” CSB

OBSERVATION: Help me see Jesus! This is the cry that rushes to my heart as I read Paul’s prayer for the Ephesian believers. Paul was not praying that they would learn more about Jesus, but that their spiritual eyes would be opened to see Jesus and to understand His power at work in their lives.

There is a difference between knowledge and revelation. One is the gathering of information and facts. The other is the unveiling of these facts so that one can understand their purpose. I grew up in Church and Sunday School. I heard about Jesus and was taught all the Bible stories about Jesus. Yet, I still did not see Jesus!

The day my life was eternally changed was the day the Holy Spirit opened my spiritual eyes and I saw Jesus as my personal Savior and Lord. Jesus was not a person of history, or a story I had been taught. Jesus was no longer merely someone I knew about. Jesus was someone I knew, in a personal way, a transformative way.

This is not something that can be taught. It is the gift of revelation that comes from the Holy Spirit. It is the answer to a heart that is surrendered in sincere repentance and fully open to the Father. It is heaven’s response to the cry of the human heart as it cries out to be saved. To know Jesus is the greatest gift that can be given to the human heart.

To know Jesus does not stop at the moment of salvation. It is the beginning of the journey toward wisdom and revelation in our relationship with Jesus Christ. This is why Paul prays, “I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, would give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him.” To know Jesus is to begin the greatest journey of life. It is to begin the quest to discover the unsearchable riches of His love.

“I want their hearts to be encouraged and joined together in love, so that they may have all the riches of complete understanding and have the knowledge of God’s mystery, Christ.” Colossians 2:2

The Christian life is to be dynamic. It is not one of mere knowledge and creed. It is a life of relationship and love, wisdom and revelation, spiritual growth and vitality, as we grow in our relationship with Jesus. There is so much more to knowing Jesus than having the assurance of salvation. While we are to rejoice knowing that we have received the gift of eternal life in Christ, the treasure of the Christian life is in knowing Him!

Listen to the depth of Paul’s prayer and let it create a hunger in your heart to know Him more!

“I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened so that you may know what is the hope of his calling, what is the wealth of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the mighty working of his strength.”

Do I know the hope of His calling? Have I discovered the glorious inheritance in the saints? Do I experience the greatness of His power working in my life? Am I being strengthened by the mighty working of His power in my life? When I ponder these questions, I find myself humbled before the Father and hungry for the Holy Spirit to reveal Jesus anew in my life!

To know Jesus is not to walk in the clouds. It is not a life of hiding from the world or ceasing from our normal activities and responsibilities. Rather, to know Jesus is to learn how His power becomes our power in our daily lives. We cannot live on the mountaintop. Peter, James, and John learned that lesson. Yet, we can walk with Jesus in the mountains and valleys of this life and experience His power and promise in each step!

The awesome truth, and one that I have yet to even scratch the surface of, is that the power that is available to us in Christ is the same power that raised Him from the dead. Resurrection power is when we realize that, just as we are united with Him in His death, we are also united with Him in His resurrection. So Paul prays that our eyes would be opened to understand the power that lives within us in Christ.

“…according to the mighty working of his strength.He exercised this power in Christ by raising him from the dead and seating him at his right hand in the heavens, far above every ruler and authority, power and dominion, and every title given, not only in this age but also in the one to come. And he subjected everything under his feet, and appointed him as head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of the one who fills all things in every way.” Ephesians 1:20-23

Is there anything beyond His power? Is there any name greater than His name? Is there any pursuit in life that is more dynamic, more rewarding, and of more eternal benefit than that of knowing Jesus Christ?

Oh, how I often forget this. How often my eyes become dim from the challenges and pressures of life. How often I look down rather than up. Heavenly Father, open my eyes anew this morning. Grant me the gift of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Jesus Christ, my Lord. Help me to see the hope of His calling, the greatness of His inheritance, and the greatness of His power working in my life!

In Jesus’ Name!