Topic: Eyes to See, Ears to Hear [Joyce Meyer Devotional 18 April 2021]

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But rather what we are setting forth is a wisdom of God once hidden [from the human understanding] and now revealed to us by God . . . None of the rulers of this age or world perceived and recognized and understood this, for if they had, they would never have crucified the Lord of glory. But, on the contrary, as the Scripture says, What eye has not seen and ear has not heard and has not entered into the heart of man, [all that] God has prepared (made and keeps ready) for those who love Him [who hold Him in affectionate reverence, promptly obeying Him and gratefully recognizing the benefits He has bestowed]. Yet to us God has unveiled and revealed them by and through His Spirit…— 1 Corinthians 2:7-10 (AMPC)

One thing used to puzzle me very much about the children of Israel. They saw the miracles Moses performed. They witnessed the 10 plagues that destroyed crops, animals, and firstborn sons and yet never touched any of them in the land of Goshen. They stood at the Red Sea and watched the waters part, and later looked back to see the Egyptians drown. They experienced miracle after miracle for 40 years.

I used to ask: Why didn’t they believe? They personally watched signs and miracles take place, but they remained unbelievers. Except for Joshua and Caleb, every adult who watched God at work in Egypt died before the waters parted at the River Jordan.

One day as I read this passage, the answer became obvious. We don’t understand God through natural eyes or human reasoning. We understand God only when we’re aided by the Holy Spirit. Those Israelites in the wilderness saw miracles, but they never experienced God. They saw the miracles at work, but they never grasped God Himself.

That’s the message Paul presents to us. He says God has prepared us—those who believe and obey—and He unveiled and revealed (see 1 Corinthians 2:10) spiritual realities through the Holy Spirit. Another way to say this is that as long as we look only at events and facts but see nothing behind them, we don’t have eyes to see and ears to hear.

That’s where Satan works best. He tries to keep us blind and deaf so that we don’t recognize the Spirit of God at work. For example, in a worship service, someone prays for a woman who is in great pain and she’s healed. Those with eyes to see and ears to hear, immediately praise the Lord. Those who are still held by the devil’s cunning lies say, “Oh, it was all psychosomatic. There was nothing really wrong with her.”

I learned long ago that it did no good to argue with the spiritually blind and try to convince them to see God at work. Until the Holy Spirit enlightens them, they can never grasp the power of God at work in human lives. Only those who have been enlightened by the power of the Holy Spirit can truly grasp spiritual realities. To those who love Him and believe, God reveals spiritual truths. He assures those who have understanding that the Holy Spirit is at work. As the Spirit works in us, we gain power over every trick of the devil to blind us again.

Prayer Starter: Lord, please give me eyes to see and ears to hear. Unveil Your spiritual truths to me, so that I can see Your hand at work in my life. In Jesus’ name, amen