Eyes of wisdom isn’t a phrase that’s bantered about much in our daily lives. When preparing for our church service on Sunday morning, these words were dropped into my spirit. Their urgency and uniqueness immediately captured my attention which begs the question, “Do you need eyes of wisdom?”
Reflecting upon last week as I sat in the brown chair, I continued to squirm for several minutes as my ophthalmologist examined my eyes. Each of us has those least favorite things in our lives, and this just happens to be one of mine since I am highly uncomfortable with an object pressing against my eyeballs.
Oftentimes, God will use the physical happenings in our lives to convey a timely spiritual lesson or message.
The Eyes Of Your Understanding.
The applicable passage of Scripture that was quickened unto me can be found in the Apostle Paul’s writing to the church at Ephesus.
At times, the ironies of life are beyond astounding! Paul’s letters to the churches in Ephesus, Philippi, and Colossae were penned from his prison cell. These timeless instructions and revelatory downloads address some of the most important and liberating Christian concepts far beyond man’s natural comprehension.
Included in the Prison Letters would be the one to Philemon, a first-century Christian and slave owner in Colossae.
Here’s the Apostle Paul’s prayer for the Ephesian Christians,
“Therefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers: that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come.” (Ephesians 1:15-21) (Emphasis mine).
Strong’s G3788, Ophthalmos (pronounced of-thal-mos’) is the Greek word for eyes in Ephesians 1:18. The meanings are as follows:
The eye, literally or figuratively
By implication, vision, sight
Metaphorically, the eyes of the mind, the faculty of knowing.1
This is where we get the word for the profession of ophthalmologists in our society.
The Eyes Of Spiritual Wisdom
Upon careful study of the verses from Ephesians 1:15-21, we learn that God gives us the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him as the eyes of our understanding are enlightened, so we can operate with eyes of spiritual wisdom.
According to Proverbs 8:22-31, spiritual wisdom was present from the beginning and before the earth was established. That’s a pretty good track record if you ask me!
“Get wisdom! Get understanding!
Do not forget, nor turn away from the words of my mouth.
Do not forsake her, and she will preserve you;
Love her, and she will keep you.
Wisdom is the principal thing;
Therefore get wisdom.
And in all your getting, get understanding.” (Proverbs 4:5-7)
Proverbs 16:16, “How much better to get wisdom than gold! And to get understanding is to be chosen rather than silver.”
The Eyes of Practical Wisdom
Thankfully, God used many people throughout the books of Genesis to Revelation to convey limitless ways and words of wisdom to us.
Our spiritual and physical eyes need to be opened to wisdom’s ways. The very best way to attain this is to read God’s word, especially as it relates to the subject of wisdom.
A great suggestion is to do a topical study on the various aspects of wisdom itself.
In whatever area you need wisdom, first, consult the Bible to see what is written on the subject. This practice most assuredly negates and removes man’s opinions on whatever matter is at hand.
During Jesus’s Sermon on the Mount, He instructed, “The lamp of the body is the eye.” (Matthew 6:22)
Considering how many images, objects, sights, and sounds pass through our eyes daily, the remainder of the above-stated verse from Matthew is vital, “If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light.”
The “I’s” Of Our Own Wisdom
The Holy Spirit revealed to me that what I heard from Him has a double meaning and is a play on words of sorts.
God desires that we have the eyes of spiritual and practical wisdom, but we are not to rely upon our wisdom which could be dubbed, “The I’s of our own wisdom.”
In other words, if we find ourselves saying, “I think it would be wise to do thus and such,” it might be best to pause, especially when many unsettling things are happening in several spheres in our country right now.
A pause can help to usher in the precise and prudent wisdom we need for a particular situation or circumstance.
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
And lean not on your own understanding;
In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He shall direct your paths.” (Proverbs 3:5-6)
God’s word was not just written for first-century Christians, but even more so for us who would be living in turbulent days.
Proverbs 16:3, “Commit your works to the Lord, and your thoughts will be established.”
Following Jesus’s Example.
Jesus’s earthly ministry wasn’t exactly a time of peace, prosperity, harmony, cake walks on the shores of the Sea of Galilee, or sitting on the porch swing eating olives and figs.
Following Jesus’s example of doing nothing unless He first spent time in prayer and ascertained His daily marching orders from God reinforces the case for all manner of wisdom.
“Now in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He went out and departed to a solitary place; and there He prayed.” (Mark 1:35)
“Then Jesus answered and said to them (the Jews), ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner.’” (John 5:19)
There’s Much Wisdom In Many Advisors.
When we have important decisions to make, it’s paramount to consult more than one trusted advisor who has a proven track record.
“Without counsel, plans go awry,
But in the multitude of counselors they are established.” (Proverbs 15:22)
God is faithful to confirm His leading and direction to us.
Prophetic Insights For Daily Living.
#1. What method(s) or approaches do you use to make very important decisions?
Every decision we make needs to be viewed through the eyes of wisdom.
The Lord has impressed upon me that these are the days in which we need to be training our eyes of wisdom, so we can be keenly aware of our surroundings.
Having eyes of wisdom will help us to continue to gather important and timely knowledge, facts, intelligence, wisdom, practicality, activity, alliances, and revelation. This is not an all-inclusive list. The Holy Spirit will customize it for each of us.
#2. How do you continue to increase your spiritual and practical wisdom?
James 3:13-18 lists a sharp contrast between heavenly, earthly, and demonic wisdom.
#3. Do you find it a challenge to consult other trusted advisors for wisdom? If so, why is this?
#4. Abiding in Jesus (John 15:1-8) and reading God’s word daily affords much wisdom.
The book of Proverbs is chock full of wisdom. God blessed Solomon, and his words are still relevant millennia after they were penned.
Even though this was written centuries ago, human nature has not changed. That can be confirmed when you read history.
When King David was in the wilderness in Judah, he cried out,
“O God, You are my God;
Early will I seek You.” (Psalm 63:1)
As we seek God early in the morning, He reveals His will to us and makes known His plans and directives.
“Come now, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit’; whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. Instead you ought to say, ‘If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that.’” (James 4:13-15)
Drink From Wisdom’s Cup, my blog post from August 17, 2021, is a helpful one to revisit at this time. https://sheilaeismann.com/be-wise/
#5. Our deeds will reflect whether we are exercising wisdom.
The grace and forgiveness afforded by our Lord Jesus Christ are available to all of us for poor decisions we have made in the past.
The past has passed, and each new day can be a new beginning in Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior.
A word of encouragement can be found in Luke 7:35, “But wisdom is justified by all her children.”
Wisdom is our spiritual mother, so to speak, and we can be one of her spiritual children if we earnestly desire to do so.
As a loving, merciful, and protective heavenly Father, God desires that we fully seek and embrace His wisdom and His ways. Moses, who God used mightily to deliver Israel, not only knew the word of God, but he also knew the ways of God. Jesus Christ of Nazareth, God’s one and only Son, is our deliverer. At God’s direction, Jesus exercised wisdom in all that He said and did. My hope and prayer are that all of us will seek to have eyes of wisdom in all that we do and say.
Until the next message,
SFE (Sheila, Fellow Encourager)
Sheila F. Eismann, Prophetic Seer, Blogger, & Author, publishes her blog posts endeavoring to encourage others through God’s word. Her writings include instructions on how to apply prophetic insights for daily living.
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1https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g3788/kjv/tr/0-1/