Glasses

Glasses

"And Elisha prayed, 'O Lord, open his eyes so he may
see'. Then the Lord opened his eyes and he saw...."

It was fifth grade, 1961 for those wondering, when the blackboard became increasingly blurry and I got my first pair of glasses. It was before the days of tempered lenses and other more modern breakthroughs and before I knew it, I was wearing what we referred to as Coke Bottle glasses. But it was ok because I could see clearly.

Fast forward 48 years and the prescription has changed countless times, bifocals are now a part of every new pair of glasses but I never complain because being able to see clearly is a blessing that I am very thankful for. I haven't forgotten the days of always carrying a copy of my prescription in my wallet when I traveled because I was so dependent on my glasses to see.

That was never more apparent than last summer when, while swimming in the ocean, a wave knocked off my glasses and they were gone, in the surf of the Atlantic Ocean off of the Atlantic City beach. To say that I panicked, while lamenting my stupidity, would be quite an understatement. Over 700 miles from home, without the ability to find our car let alone drive at all, I was envisioning an end of the vacation that was not too promising. And when my wife said "Wait, I stepped on something" and fished my glasses from under the ocean water, I was one appreciative and thankful husband who would be able to see for the rest of vacation.

Maybe in some ways we all need glasses. Most of us lose our sight in some spiritual ways that can be very costly. We lose sight of all God has done for us and needlessly worry when God has proven Himself faithful time and time again. We lose sight of all God has promises and are burdened about the future when God has it all in control and has spoken that "He will never leave us or forsake us". We lose sight of His awesome power and love and think our problems are too big for God or, even worse, that He doesn't care.

Wouldn't it be nice if we could just a slip on a pair of glasses each time that happens and, in a moment, have our spiritual sight restored. That is really what Paul was praying for when he said "I pray that the eyes of your understanding may be opened so that you will see the hope to which He has called you".

At the risk of offending, can I say this morning, just as I heard my eye doctor say many years ago 'you need glasses!' The good part is they won't cost you anything. In fact, it will cost you if you don't get them. But you just might need to keep them handy and every time you are tempted to not trust God or to worry about the future, put them on so you can regain your sight and see clearly, see clearly how good and how faithful the Lord our God is, seeing clearly that His hand is upon our lives and we will order the steps of our lives.

God Bless
Pastor Joe
Gateway Church