"Seeing Ourselves As God Does” Series

Open my eyes, that I may see glimpses of truth Thou hast for me; Place in my hands the wonderful key that shall unclasp and set me free. Silently now I wait for Thee, ready my God, Thy will to see, Open my eyes, illumine me, Spirit divine!

Open the eyes of my heart, Lord, open the eyes of my heart! I want to see You, I want to see You. Open the eyes of my heart, Lord, open the eyes of my heart! I want to see You, I want to see You .To see You high and lifted up, shining in the light of Your glory, Pour out Your power and love as we sing holy, holy, holy

The prayer expressed by the words of these songs is very similar to the prayer of the Apostle Paul that is recorded for us in Ephesians 1:15-23.

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The Apostle Paul prayed for the folks at Ephesus and by the inspiration of the holy Spirit, for all believers, that we might receive the spirit of wisdom and revelation, and that the eyes of our heart might be enlightened. Why? So that we might better know God, by coming to see how He views us in Christ.

You see, the Bible tells us that everyone who has trusted Christ as Savior has a new standing before God. Whereas before we met Christ we were “in sin,” now we are “in Christ.” Because of this new standing before God, our relationship with Him has changed. Whereas before we were under condemnation, now we are under the blood.

So it is that Paul prays that the people of God might have their eyes opened to see themselves in light of their special relationship to God.

That we might see ourselves as God does. Paul prayed that we might see ourselves as being . . .

1. God’s partners - v. 18a

Paul prayed that we might know the hope of God’s calling. God looks upon His children as being partners in His redemptive work.

“For we are fellow workmen (joint promoters, laborers together) with and for God . . .” - 1 Corinthians 3:9 (Amplified)

God has a specific role for each of us to play in the work he has called us to cooperate with Him in.

“For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.” - Ephesians 2:10 (NLT)

For this reason, we need to seek to “walk in step with the Spirit” (Galatians 5:25), spending time each day with God in prayer, so we might, as Watchman Nee put is, “cultivate the upward gaze so that we might see the work that God wants us to cooperate with Him in.”

Too many of us, however, do pray, but not to ascertain God’s will, but rather, to get approval of our own.

A man was telling his mother about a friend who had died and left three small children. His mother said, “Why couldn’t it have been me? I am ninety-three years old, and she was so young. I’ve worked hard all my life to serve the Lord, and I’m ready to go.’

He responded, “Mother, the Lord has left you here on earth for a purpose. He must have something else he wants you to do.”

She quickly replied, “Well, I’m telling you right now, I’m not gonna do it.”

Oh, let’s see ourselves as God sees us! We are his partners! Therefore, let our commitment be: “I am only one, but I am one. I cannot do everything, but I can do something. What I can do, I ought to do, and what I ought to do, by the grace of God I will do.”

Paul also prayed that we might see ourselves as being . . .

2. God’s inheritance - v. 18b

In Ephesians 1:11, Paul spoke of our inheritance, but here he speaks of God’s inheritance. We, the people of God, are said to be God’s inheritance. In 1 Corinthians 6:20, we are told that we were “bought with a price” and are, therefore, very precious to God - we are His inheritance! This means at least two things:

A. We have a prominent place in the heart of God.

I have an antique clock that I inherited from my uncle Perry McFadden, which once belonged to my great-grandfather. That clock is prominently displayed on the mantle of our fireplace in our home. It has a special place in our home, because it is precious to me. Likewise, because we are God’s inheritance, we are precious to Him and have a prominent place in His heart.

B. We will never be abandoned by God.

Have you ever felt abandoned? I will never forget one day I experienced as a child.