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"Lift up your eyes on high, and see who has
created these things . . ." - Isaiah 40:26
The people of God in Isaiah’s time had blinded their minds’ ability to see God
by looking on the face of idols. But Isaiah made them look up at the heavens;
that is, he made them begin to use their power to think and to visualize
correctly. If we are children of God, we have a tremendous treasure in nature
and will realize that it is holy and sacred. We will see God reaching out to us
in every wind that blows, every sunrise and sunset, every cloud in the sky,
every flower that blooms, and every leaf that fades, if we will only begin to
use our blinded thinking to visualize it.
The real test of spiritual focus is being able to bring your mind and thoughts
under control. Is your mind focused on the face of an idol? Is the idol
yourself? Is it your work? Is it your idea of what a servant should be, or maybe
your experience of salvation and sanctification? If so, then your ability to see
God is blinded. You will be powerless when faced with difficulties and will be
forced to endure in darkness. If your power to see has been blinded, don’t look
back on your own experiences, but look to God. It is God you need. Go beyond
yourself and away from the faces of your idols and away from everything else
that has been blinding your thinking. Wake up and accept the ridicule that
Isaiah gave to his people, and deliberately turn your thoughts and your eyes to
God.
One of the reasons for our sense of futility in prayer is that we have lost our
power to visualize. We can no longer even imagine putting ourselves deliberately
before God. It is actually more important to be broken bread and poured-out wine
in the area of intercession than in our personal contact with others. The power
of visualization is what God gives a saint so that he can go beyond himself and
be firmly placed into relationships he never before experienced.
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