The Eyes of Your Heart Opened

August 27th, 2026
by Gary Cheaney

Seeing With More Than Just Your Eyes

SCRIPTURE:
Ephesians 1:18-19 CSB - I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened so that you may know what is the hope of his calling, what is the wealth of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the mighty working of his strength.

OBSERVATION:
In the opening of his letter to the Ephesians, Paul offers a powerful prayer—the first of two in this epistle. It is a prayer for spiritual enlightenment.

Paul uses a beautiful metaphor:

"I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened..." (Ephesians 1:18)

Paul is asking for a spiritual understanding that must take place for us to comprehend what God has done truly.

Throughout the Bible, the “heart” often represents the center of a person’s physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual life—the whole inner person, encompassing the mind, will, and emotions. Thus, “the eyes of your heart” refers to our inner perception. Our “inner eyes” are “enlightened” when they open and light is cast on them, allowing them to see and understand the things of the Spirit. – GotQuestions.org

The word ‘heart’ in Scripture signifies the very core and center of life, where the intelligence has its post of observation, where the stores of experience are laid up, and the thoughts have their fountain.” – Henry Alford

Paul is praying that we would have the eyes of our hearts enlightened – or opened – so that we can grasp what God has done and continues to do.

APPLICATION:
Two areas that Paul wants us to see clearly.

Know the hope of our calling: Paul wants not only the Ephesians to know this but you and me as well. That we would know – know that you know – that our calling is based on His inheritance in us, not our inheritance in Him. Paul wants us to understand that we are precious to God and that He considers us His own inheritance.

Knowing our spiritual poverty, we wonder how God can find any inheritance in the saints. Yet God can make riches out of poor men and women because He invests so much in them. He has invested riches of love, riches of wisdom, riches of suffering, riches of glory. These things accrue to a rich inheritance in the saints. – David Guzik

Know the immeasurable greatness of His power: Paul wants us to know that God has shown – and continues to show us – His living power by demonstrating His strength on behalf of His people.

Many Christians do not know this power — or they only know it from a distance. God wants resurrection life to be real in the life of the believer. – David Guzik

The very same power which raised Christ is waiting to raise the drunkard from his drunkenness, to raise the thief from his dishonesty, to raise the Pharisee from his self-righteousness, to raise the Sadducee from his unbelief. – Charles Spurgeon

Let us, like the church in Ephesus, walk in the hope of our calling and in the immeasurable greatness of His power. Don’t just know it – be enlightened – and walk in it.

PRAYER:
Jesus, just as Paul prayed for the church in Ephesus, I pray today: May the eyes of our heart be enlightened so that we may know what is the hope of his calling, what is the wealth of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the mighty working of his strength.

Today, may we have the eyes of our hearts opened – opened to see You and all Your glory, power, and grace. Let us live in the confidence of Your resurrection power working in us daily.

Until the eyes of your heart are opened, you can know about God's power and calling without ever truly walking in them.

Posted in 10 - Ephesians