While I was cleaning the other day I started thinking about the term “enlighten”.
So I looked up the origin of the word. It comes from the late 14th century, “to remove the dimness or blindness (usually figurative) from one’s eyes or heart”.
Three references in Scripture came to mind. I want to look at those verses this morning.
“The Law of the Lord is perfect, giving new strength to the soul. The Law He has made known is sure, making the child-like wise. 8 The Laws of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart. The Word of the Lord is pure, giving light (enlightening) to the eyes. 9 The fear of the Lord is pure, lasting forever. The Lord is always true and right in how He judges. ” Psalm 19:7-9 NLV
God’s word enlightens or removes the dimness from our lives. It gives us the ability to see things clearer. It gives us understanding where there has been confusion.
I like the expression “keep your eyes open”. It means we are alert and attentive. Looking at things clearly and with precision. When our kids were little we lived in an area with lots of rattlesnakes. We would tell them to keep their eyes open when they were out playing or walking through the alfalfa field. We also told our grandchildren the same thing when we were driving through Yellowstone. We wanted them to be looking for wildlife. We wanted them to be alert!
God’s word will do that for us. It keeps us alerted to the situations around us; protecting us from harm, revealing to us the strength that we have and giving us wisdom.
We all learn from what we take in visually. Have you ever noticed how a infant is always looking and learning from their surroundings? Our little granddaughter is almost a year old and she doesn’t miss a thing. She can be playing with her favorite toy, intent on what she’s doing and still see when someone enters across the room.
We also learn spiritually from what we see. When the Lord delivered the Jews from Egypt they were told to remember what the Lord had done for them. They were to instruct their children so that they would know how good God had been to them.
“ You must be very careful not to forget the things you have seen God do for you. Keep reminding yourselves, and tell your children and grandchildren as well.” Deuteronomy 4:9 CEV
They were to enlighten their children to the goodness of God.
The Apostle Paul wanted all of us to be enlightened also. He had experienced God’s goodness, His grace and His mercy. This is a prayer he prayed for the Christians at the church in Ephesus and it applies to us as well.
“I pray that God will open your minds (enlightened) to see his truth. Then you will know the hope that he has chosen us to have. You will know that the blessings God has promised his holy people are rich and glorious. 19 And you will know that God’s power is very great for us who believe. It is the same as the mighty power 20 he used to raise Christ from death and put him at his right side in the heavenly places.” Ephesians 1:18-20 ERV
I’ve been reading these verses nearly everyday for the past 30 years. Go back up and read them again. Maybe out loud so you can hear them.
I want to know the blessings that God has for me now, here on earth and in heaven to come. I want to know His power, the power that He has provided me for daily life.
I desire to keep my eyes open so that I can see all that God has done and is doing in my life.
My prayer is that you too, keep your eyes open!