Eyes Open Wide
by Richard Griffiths
I believe Psalm 119:18 must be one of the best-known verses in the whole Bible. The whole of Psalm 119 is a celebration of the wonders of God’s word, His laws, His Torah. And here is the word itself: wonders. It’s a word that means miracles, things that we would find impossible, things that are only true of God, things beyond what the natural mind can grasp.
Paul Talks about God’s wonders in 2 Corinthians 2:9-10: ‘What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived’ – the things God has prepared for those who love him – these are the things God has revealed to us by his Spirit.’
These are the wonders: ‘the things God has prepared for those who love Him’. They can’t be seen with our physical eyes (although we might see the physical outworking of them). They can’t even be ‘seen’ by our minds (like when you explain something to a person and they say, “Ah, now I see!”). They can only be truly seen with the eyes of our human spirit. And the psalmist’s prayer is that God would open his spiritual eyes to see God’s wonders as he reads His Word. What are these wonders?
Ever since I came to faith as a student, I have loved the Bible. For years I’ve read it, studied it and taught it. But, looking back, so much of this was all with my mind. I understood the truth contained in the Scriptures. I believed it and I loved it. But I came to realise that something was missing. I knew the Word better than I knew the Author. You see, the greatest wonder of all is not the amazing truths contained in the Bible – wonderful though they are – but actually meeting the Author as He speaks to you. Seeing Him, that is, with spiritual eyes. Then, the truths we read stop being theoretical and become intensely practical and relevant – wonderful in a way that far surpasses all that went before.
Many chaffinches visit the birdfeeders in our garden. I have a field guide to British birds, which describes their songs. Here’s the description for the chaffinch: chi-chip-chip, chirichirchirri cheeip-tcheweeoo. Well, that gives you some idea. But it’s a million miles from the glorious reality on a warm summer’s day.
The great truths of Scripture only become ‘wonders’ when God opens the eyes of our hearts to see the glorious reality that He reveals as we meet with Him.
Prayer: Lord, please would You open the eyes of my spirit to see You more clearly and take hold of the wonders contained in Your Word as I read it and think about it today. Amen.
Richard Griffiths When Richard retired from full-time Anglican ministry in Chichester in 2009, he and his wife, Sue, moved to Northumberland. He joined the ministry team at Ellel Grange in 2011, where he and Sue regularly ministered at healing retreats. They are now helping on the "Explore" team. They greatly enjoy walking in the beautiful Northumberland countryside and along the coast. Richard loves seeing God bringing people into a strong personal relationship with Him as their Father and the healing that comes with it.
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