Seeing

             Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying: “Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you may now dismiss your servant in peace. For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all nations: a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of your people Israel.” (Luke 2:28-32)

Where there is no vision, the people are unrestrained, But happy is one who keeps the Law. (Proverbs 29:18)

And Elisha prayed, “Open his eyes, Lord, so that he may see.” Then the Lord opened the servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. (II Kings  6:17)

Technically, today’s post should have been done before yesterday’s because we must see before we press on. Sometimes, though, it’s necessary to press on even when we don’t see. So, no matter what they order, both should be considered. God had promised Simeon that he would not die until he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. I suspect he had thought that meant the Messiah fulfilling His role as Savior, not being a baby. But he made the adjustment from “end of fulfillment” to “beginning of fulfillment.”

We need vision, as the verse from Proverbs tells us. Some translations of this verse say, “prophetic vision.” We certainly need the Word of God given to us because it gives us direction, but the direction it gives is often “the end of fulfillment.” We also need our eyes opened, as Elisha prayed for his servant, that we may see, whether that sight is God’s the beginning or the end of fulfillment. In Experiencing God by Henry Blackabee, he suggests that we should ask God to show us where He is working, then ask Him for how he wants us to be involved in that work.

          One way God shows us what He wants us to do is simply by bringing it to our attention. How often do we say, “Somebody should” or “Somebody ought” and then sat back in disgust because nobody does it? Sometimes, the statement is elevated to a more ridiculous level: “the government should…” If you suggest that perhaps the person’s awareness of the problem was God’s way of assigning the task to him/her, you’re likely to get excuses.

          This is one of those areas in which we might expand our comfort zones. What is one of our prayers for 2025 is to see God and what He is doing more clearly? Of course, seeing won’t be enough. God can find an audience anywhere- but most of them aren’t willing to volunteer to go up on stage and interact with the magician, or sing with the singer. But seeing is the first step.