If you were with us on Sunday, you would have heard me tell a story of how I completely missed seeing something. Something that would have created some potential problems, had someone not alerted me to it.

So, back when I was working with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship we were flown to a staff retreat just outside of Vancouver. I had never before been to BC so the whole experience was quite exciting but the flight was long and a wee bit bumpy. I had worn my best shirt, and of course, I managed to spill food all over it during the flight.

Our hosts greeted us at the airport and we all jumped into the bus. We stopped at a shopping mall, close to the airport, so we could grab some sustenance at the food court before continuing our 2 hour journey to our Retreat Centre. I grabbed some food and took the opportunity to quickly purchase another shirt, since the one that I was wearing was no longer wear worthy.

As our host gave us the “10 min to the bus” warning— I dashed into the first clothing store I saw and quickly purchased a beautiful lightweight sweat shirt. It really was lovely. It was black with delicate gold squiggly lines all over. It was the right size, it was the right price …done. Purchase made in less that 5 mins and I was on the bus with a minute to spare.

While in my seat on the bus, I pulled the sweatshirt out of the bag and proudly put my purchase on over my now filthy top. My colleague, who was sitting beside me, watched as I brought it over my head and pulled my arms through. I wiggled in my seat until it was properly on. Proudly, I looked over at my colleague who just began laughing.

“What?” I asked

“Did you read what was on this shirt before you bought it?”

“Read? No?”

Then I took a closer look the pretty gold squiggly lines and discovered it was not a squiggly line at all, it was writing. There were words all over the shirt that I do not feel comfortable saying, much less writing. If you watched the Emmy’s on Sunday night, you know how they bleeped out the swear words? Well there would be a lot of bleeping going on, if you know what I mean? There was NO way I could wear such a garment at a staff retreat for InterVarsity Christian Fellowship!

The words were right there the whole time — hiding in plain sight. I only saw what I wanted.

The sweatshirt never made it off the bus.

The truth is, we don’t always see what is right there in front of us, do we?

In 2 Kings 6:8-23 Elisha prayed, “Open his eyes, Lord, that he may see.” Then the Lord opened the servant’s eyes… (vs 17)

Elisha’s servant was looking but not seeing. Terrified, he only saw the army of Aram surrounding their town. He didn’t see the host of angels protecting God’s people. He was walking in spiritual blindness.

We can be the same way. We might see only disappointments, or discouragements, or enemies all around. We might fear the stranger, complain about the lazy, and point fingers at those who disagree. We might fear that the world has gone to hell in a hand basket, and we are the ones who suffer. We might be tempted to put God aside so that we can earn our fortune and have fun, only to experience everlasting loss.

Elisha’s prayer is a great way to address our blindness to the things of God. We too can pray, “Open our eyes, Lord, that we may see.”

When our eyes are opened, we see sin as sin and we see God as God. And we come to see that this world is all in God’s hands.

When the Lord opened the servant’s eyes, he could see that they were being surrounded and protected and with that the servant’s fear melted away.

Wherever you find yourself today, may your eyes be wide open to God’s love, care, protection and hope, and like the servant may your fears and anxiety melt away!

“Open our eyes, Lord, that we may see.”