Psalm 123 says “To you I lift up my eyes, O you who are enthroned in the heavens!” The psalmist did not pray towards his heart, but towards the One who is enthroned in the heavens. It is true that God lives in our hearts, but the direction of our prayers should be towards the One who is in heaven. God manifests His greatest glory in heaven and His throne is in heaven. Verse 2 says, “Behold, as the eyes of servants look to the hand of their master, as the eyes of a maidservant to the hand of her mistress, so our eyes look to the Lord our God, till he has mercy upon us.” As described in the latter part of this psalm, they had more than enough of the scorn and the contempt of others. The situation was unfriendly for the psalmist and his people. How did they cope with the scorn of others? They looked at the greatest reality, the Lord Himself, and He is the one who would help them.
Let us also read Psalm 25 and observe David’s example. Verse 1…“To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul”. Verse 15…“My eyes are ever toward the Lord…”. What our spiritual eyes see is very important. This is how David lived His life–His spiritual eyes were always toward the Lord. I doubt that any president or world leader has such a peaceful heart as David had. Though David had to oversee many issues, he was able to maintain a calm and peaceful heart. Because he always lifted up his eyes to the Lord, he was able to handle many matters effectively.
Let us read from John 14:18. “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.” (verse 18) He has already come into our hearts. “Yet a little while and the world will see me no more…” (verse 19) Because He has ascended to heaven. “…but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. In that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you.” (verse 19-20) Today, we can see the Lord with our spiritual eyes. He is real. He also said He would manifest Himself to those who loved Him. (verse 21) The Lord will manifest Himself to those who want to see Him. By our spiritual eyes, we can realize He is real.
John 16:22 says, “So also you have sorrow now, but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you.” This is also related to us. When we can see the Lord, our hearts will rejoice. That’s why I asked you to behold the Lord and realize that He is in glory, He is everywhere, and He is in our hearts at the same time. When you look at the Lord, you should also know He loves you and how He treats you. When you sing hymns, your heart is connected with Him and you desire to worship Him. The contents of the hymns are like pictures, showing you one scene after another how He loves you, and how He’s loving you now. When your spiritual eyes see Him, you will rejoice.
John 20:19-20 says, “Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, ‘Peace be with you.’ When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord.” You are influenced by what you see. For example, when you see advertisements, you may be attracted by them. Our spirits should see the Lord, not the distractions. What you pay attention to is actually what your spiritual eyes see. What you see affects you so much.
David sought after this: that all the days of his life, he might gaze upon the beauty of the Lord. (Psalm 27:4) Thanks the Lord we are doing today what David did in the past. Every day we sing and worship. We are actually gazing upon the beauty of Abba and the Lord. When we behold Him, we do not just look at the Lord, but we also experience transformation in us. As 2 Corinthians 3 says, “And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed…” The Lord works in us and opens our spiritual eyes more. We realize Him more and are transformed into His likeness. As a result, our hearts will be joyous because we are more like Him. The Lord is full of joy and peace. Moreover, we can also be full of His faith, hope, and love.
Stephen fixed His eyes on heaven (Acts 7:55). He fixed His eyes on heaven first, then he saw the Lord Jesus standing at the right of God. The people around him were enraged and wanted to stone him. But in such a situation, his spiritual eye was looking up. Therefore, when we look at the Lord and the truth, our hearts can be at peace. Even in such a difficult situation, Stephen was not affected. He was looking unto heaven, seeing the Lord in glory. When our spiritual eyes see the Lord in glory, we can overcome all circumstances.
Just as Moses, seeing Him who is invisible (Hebrews 11:27) he became unafraid. It made a difference for Moses. David set the Lord always before him (Psalm 16:8). Therefore, his heart was glad, and his whole being rejoiced. Today we also need to do the same. We behold the Lord, realizing that He is in glory, He is everywhere, and He is in our hearts at the same time, and realize we are heart to heart with Him. By doing this, we set Him before us always.