The Wall Street Journal opened my eyes this morning. I was flabbergasted to read that many millennials do not realize that a $20 antenna is all one needs to watch network television. They were so used to paying for cable TV that it never occurred to them that television was free. “Almost a third of Americans (29%) are unaware local TV is available free…,” says the article.
Their eyes are being opened to the freedom of a $20 antenna and Netflix for their viewing pleasure.
Our family cut the cord long before it was fashionable, and we have never regretted it. Except, maybe, when the Cubs were in the playoffs and some of the games weren’t on network television. I survived.
Do you ever feel like your eyes are blind to facts, truth, or an opportunity that might be very helpful to you? Sometimes, it simply never occurred to you, like free TV. Other times it is so outside of your experience that you never imagined such a reality.
Once in a while, we get a glimpse of truth that is of another realm. There is a reality that is not seen by human eyes, and only God can open our eyes to see it.
There are a few impressive biblical examples of God opening eyes. One of my favorites is a story involving the prophet Elisha (2 Kings 6:8-23). Elisha had been tipping the king of Israel off to the movements of the king of Aram, and the king of Aram was furious. So, he sent “horses and chariots and a strong force” to capture Elisha.
Elisha’s servant was terrified, but Elisha could see what the servant could not.
“‘Don’t be afraid,’ the prophet answered. ‘Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.’ 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.”
Elisha prayed that the opposing army would become blind, led them to the king of Israel, and then had the king prepare a feast for them. Problem solved.
Another beautiful example is when Hagar, the Egyptian mother of Ishmael, was sent away with her son. They were out of water, she was tired, she cried and gave up. But God saw their tears and opened Hagar’s eyes.
“Then God opened her eyes and she saw a well of water. So she went and filled the skin with water and gave the boy a drink.”
Perhaps the most humorous example is when a donkey saw what a man did not.
“Then the Lord opened Balaam’s eyes, and he saw the angel of the Lord standing in the road with his sword drawn. So he bowed low and fell facedown. The angel of the Lord asked him, “Why have you beaten your donkey these three times? I have come here to oppose you because your path is a reckless one before me. The donkey saw me and turned away from me these three times. If it had not turned away, I would certainly have killed you by now, but I would have spared it.”
In each of these cases, God opened the eyes of someone so that they could see what had been invisible.
Lately, I’ve been praying that God would open my eyes to see what I have been blind to. Maybe it will be something like free TV – already figured that one out – but I hope he will open my eyes to reality, truth, something new, that I could not see before.
We’re all blind to quite a lot of truth in this world. Our experience has shaped our thinking, like millennials who have no concept of free television, and we don’t even know what we don’t know.
Lord, open my eyes. I don’t know what I don’t know.
Have you ever had an experience of your eyes opening to a reality that you had no concept of before? Has God ever opened your eyes to see spiritual reality?
Connecting Dots...to God 
Wonderful example, Jeannie, and I’m absolutely positive that we all miss out on many of God’s blessings, because we simply cannot imagine what he has for us. Our minds are stuck in the thinking of this world, and we have a hard time seeing beyond it. At least my mind is!
I like your TV example, Judy, and the analogy you make with it. What I thought of was this: I took an overnight train ride with my daughter a couple of months ago. We got meals included in our sleeper-cabin package, and it was really nice eating in the dining car. My parents also used to take the train to visit us, and they booked a sleeper cabin each time as well. But the first time, they didn’t know their meals were included. So they brought snacks, and when the attendant came to ask them about coming down to the dining car for supper, breakfast, etc., they refused! They completely missed out because they didn’t know it was included in the price of their tickets. This makes me think that spiritually speaking, we probably do miss out on a lot of what God has for us because we don’t know, or maybe don’t quite believe, that we can truly trust His love and grace.