My niece, Anna, ran for her phone to take a picture of the red skyline above the lake in my backyard tonight. She snagged her sister by the arm on her way out the door. Hearing them exclaim over the beauty of the sunset reminded me of how many times I’ve been stopped in my tracks by the exact same view and raced to get my phone before the flame of color slipped quickly below the horizon. It appears like clockwork, earlier and earlier this time of year, always the same but infinitely different. I smile remembering, knowing how many snapshots I have collected over the past three years but equally sure I’ll take more tomorrow. God’s artistry is simply beyond compare!
“The heavens proclaim the glory of God.
The skies display his craftsmanship.
Day after day they continue to speak; night after night they make him known.
They speak without a sound or word; their voice is never heard.
Yet their message has gone throughout the earth, and their words to all the world.
God has made a home in the heavens for the sun.
It bursts forth like a radiant bridegroom after his wedding. It rejoices like a great athlete eager to run the race.
The sun rises at one end of the heavens and follows its course to the other end. Nothing can hide from its heat.”
Psalms 19:1-6 NLT
https://bible.com/bible/116/psa.19.1-6.NLT
We recently had roller shades installed in the western facing windows of our home. In the summer months, the setting sun drives up the electric bill and the glare makes it impossible to eat meals at our dining table. Still, the beautiful view is one of the main reasons we chose to build our home here. At least, it’s my main reason. The fishing tops my husband’s list. When we sit at our dining table looking out, it feels like we’re directly on the water, and that view never gets old. But have you ever noticed how you can see something so often that it seems to disappear? It’s obviously still there, but you can look right past it without really noticing it.
I’ve noticed this most recently when I pick up my phone to check the time. It’s right there on the home screen in large digital print, yet I can swipe through notifications and put my phone away only to remember I still don’t know the time.
During college, I worked several jobs from banking to billing while studying accounting. I can remember combing through columns of numbers in search of the one transcribed or misplaced digit that was throwing the spreadsheet out of balance. Though I was usually very efficient, there were times when I needed to ask for help. The same is true of editing an essay or an email. Sometimes, you just need fresh eyes.
“Ears to hear and eyes to see— both are gifts from the Lord.”
Proverbs 20:12 NLT
https://bible.com/bible/116/pro.20.12.NLT
We can become so familiar with something or someone that we overlook the obvious. Jesus’s disciples were closest to His life and miracles, the first to see and experience everything in His public and private ministry. If they had questions, Jesus patiently answered. He sometimes addressed things they had not even spoken aloud, yet they often misunderstood.
“At this they began to argue with each other because they hadn’t brought any bread.
Jesus knew what they were saying, so he said, “Why are you arguing about having no bread?
Don’t you know or understand even yet?
Are your hearts too hard to take it in?
‘You have eyes—can’t you see? You have ears—can’t you hear?’
Don’t you remember anything at all?
When I fed the 5,000 with five loaves of bread, how many baskets of leftovers did you pick up afterward?”
“Twelve,” they said.
“And when I fed the 4,000 with seven loaves, how many large baskets of leftovers did you pick up?”
“Seven,” they said.
“Don’t you understand yet?” he asked them.”
Mark 8:16-21 NLT
https://bible.com/bible/116/mrk.8.16-21.NLT
Many of Jesus’s final moments teaching His followers pointed to things they may not understand until after His departure. The fourteenth to seventeenth chapter of John include several instances where Jesus said, “I have told you these things before they happen so that when they do happen, you will believe.”
(John 14:29)
“I am telling you these things now while I am still with you.
But when the Father sends the Advocate as my representative—that is, the Holy Spirit—he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you.”
John 14:25-26 NLT
https://bible.com/bible/116/jhn.14.25-26.NLT
By the presence and power of God’s own Spirit, I have fresh eyes. No matter how weary I become or how exhausted I am from searching, Scripture teaches that “the revealed things belong to us and our children forever, that we may follow all the words of His law.” (Deuteronomy29:29) “These are the things God has revealed to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God.”
(1 Corinthians 2:10) May we never take for granted the gift of sight!
“Open my eyes to see the wonderful truths in your instructions.”
Psalms 119:18 NLT
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