What plays out in our lives starts with what is going on with our eyes.
“We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes…” (Num. 13:33, NIV).
In this one line, we find the root problem that became the demise of a generation of God’s people. The Israelites had a problem with their eyes. The way their eyes were perceiving things, the enemy was giant-size, and they were grasshopper-size. They had what the New Testament calls, diseased eyes.
“But if your eye is diseased, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!” (Matt. 6:23, NET).
Eyes that are diseased. Eyes that are sick, unhealthy. Obviously, this verse is not talking about physical eyes. Diseased eyes here are not an ophthalmological issue. Rather, they are an issue of spiritual perception. Diseased eyes are those that have a distorted perception of reality. Diseased eyes receive the input of the enemy. This input becomes the filter through which they view the world.
The Israelites were viewing the enemy through the filter that the enemy wanted them to use. Notice that our header verse used the word “seemed.” The problem seemed to be much bigger than God in their distorted perception. This was because they were fixated on the enemy instead of on the One who had delivered them again and again.
In contrast to diseased eyes, we are to long for what the Bible describes as focused eyes. We find this in the previous verse. “The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye be in single focus, pure, sound, your whole body will be well lighted” (v. 22, Wuest). If our eyes are focused on Jesus, then our whole body will be filled with His light. This is revelation light. Every day, may we invite the Holy Spirit to sharpen our focus on the things above, those of God’s heavenly realities. This will fill our inner space with the light of heaven; with joy, peace, and righteousness in the Holy Ghost.
We need to ask God to heal our eyesight so that we may perceive things according to His perspective. We need to ask Him to give us eyes that see our enemies as grasshoppers, and correctly perceive God as the giant One. “Great is our Lord, and mighty in power; His understanding is infinite” (Ps. 147:5, NKJV).
This is the true perception of reality. In reality, God is infinitely greater than the enemy. He blows the devil away by one blast of breath from His nostrils. This is why the Holy Spirit invites us to pray the prayer from Ephesians 1:18 regularly over ourselves. “Father, illuminate the eyes of my heart, that I might know You better. Let me see clearly, without distortion. Reveal to me just how enormous You are. Let all my problems fall into perspective through this lens of Your greatness. Let the eyes of my heart be healthy eyes; not diseased ones. Let my whole inner being be filled with light, with Your revelation light.”
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Is it easier to see through diseased eyes, or through focused eyes? What do you think?
Feeding On Jesus 
Another way of saying this is that their perspective (line of sight) was diseased. A human thumb can obliterate the sun (or appear to) if you put the digit up to your eye. Thanx for the encouragement to keep our eyes focused on Who matters more.
❤️&🙏, c.a.
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Well said, C.A. Our perspective is so critical!
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I love that prayer, and as I sat with it I remembered God asking us to thank Him in everything. So, I turned that prayer into this prayer (which I am going to pray daily). What a blessing you are, Jennifer:
Father, thank You for illuminating the eyes of our heart to know You better through every person and every circumstance You send our way to grow us and Your Body. Thank You for opening our eyes to see clearly, without distortion. Thank You for revealing to us just how enormous You are. Thank You for making all our problems fall into perspective through this lens of Your greatness. Thank You for continually turning us toward You and away from the world and its desires, to sanctify us and give us healthy eyes of the heart to see ourselves and others, and our every circumstance, as You do. Thank You for living and moving and having Your being in us, for filling our whole inner being with Your light, through the revelation of Your Living Word at work in us. In Jesus’ precious Name, Amen
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Amen! I just prayed that along with you, Anna. Absolutely beautiful. Selah.
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God, give us eyes that see things the way You do, not the way the world does. Give us divine perspective.
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Yes and amen! More and more so every day, Father!
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A great to ponder post. Having and maintaining a Heavenly focus is never easy but knowing He is with us is our strength when events around us are trying to pull us down. Thank you.
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Amen. God is our refuge and strength, and ever present help in times of trouble, thank You Father with all our hearts!
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GM, very helpful, deceased eyes, Lord deliver my eyes to ur righteousness so that I can see right..bless, help me Lord in Jesus name.
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Edna, I am so glad to know that this post blessed you! Amen, Lord Jesus, give us Your eyes to see! (I am now back from my long ministry trip and getting caught up again on blog comments. The richest of blessings to you in 2023!)
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Your thought opened my eyes also to see light instead of darkness. You have beautiful perspective about jesus. Lovely blog.
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Thank You Jesus! I am thanking Him because it fills my heart with joy to know that you were blessed through this. May He pour His love and light into your heart today and always!
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