Lord, Open Their Eyes

God is “not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9). As Christians, we not only believe this, but we also know it to be true firsthand. We personally have experienced God’s long suffering, mercy, forgiveness, and the sacrificial, unconditional love that saved us through Christ while we were sinners. 

My prayer is that my family and friends who are not believers would also personally experience this and be saved. I pray that God would open their eyes to their sin, their need for a Savior, and the knowledge that they have a wonderful, merciful Savior in Jesus Christ. 

Throughout his ministry, Jesus made himself known to individuals and opened eyes both physically and spiritually. When Jesus met the Samaritan woman at the well, he not only showed her that he knew her deeply by revealing her sin, but he also made himself known to her. Jesus told her that he was the Messiah (John 4:25-26). The woman left her water pot, went back to the city, and told everyone to come and see Jesus, who knew all she had done and must be Christ, the Messiah (John 4:28-29). 

In John 9, Jesus physically healed a blind man on the Sabbath day (John 9:1-7). The man was later cast out of the temple by the Pharisees because he did not waver in telling the truth of Jesus healing him. Thereafter, Jesus returned to the blind man and asked him if he believed on the Son of God. When the man said he did not know the Son of God and asked who he was, Jesus answered his question and told him that he was the Son of God. Jesus made himself known to the blind man and opened his eyes spiritually. Immediately, the man believed and worshipped Jesus (John 9:35-38).

And after Jesus’ resurrection, he made himself known to others and opened their eyes. In Luke 24, Jesus spoke to two of his followers whose eyes were closed such that they did not know that the resurrected Christ was with them (Luke 24:16). Beginning with Moses, Jesus explained “all the scriptures” and prophecies foretelling his coming, suffering, and resurrection (Luke 24:27). Yet the followers still did not know and see that the person speaking to them was the resurrected Messiah in the flesh. It was only when Jesus took bread, blessed it, brake, and gave it to them that “their eyes were opened and they knew him” (Luke 24:30-31). Thereafter, they returned to Jerusalem to tell Jesus’ disciples that they had seen the risen Christ (Luke 24:33-35).

Let us actively pray for our unbelieving family, friends, coworkers, and others we meet in our lives. Specifically, let us pray that God would meet them, make himself known to them, and open their eyes spiritually as Jesus did with the Samaritan woman, the blind man, and his two followers. Let us pray that God would open their eyes to their sin, their need for a Savior, and that their Savior is Jesus Christ. And let us pray that they would repent, believe like the blind man, and tell others like the Samaritan woman and Jesus’ followers.