Two Kinds of Spiritual Eyes
And Elisha prayed, and said, Lord, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the Lord opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha (2 Kings 6:17 KJV)
The Lord opened my eyes to see Jesus in the Word and forever transformed my spiritual life, relationship with Him, and ministry. In 2 Ki. 6:17, Elisha prayed that the Lord would open his servant’s eyes. And as soon as the Lord opened his eyes, he saw an angel army around them, and all his fears, worries, and anxieties immediately vanished.
Although the Lord opened both of our eyes, He did so in two distinct ways—one by understanding and another by supernatural enablement( which I call the “prophetic eye”). Therefore, there are different kinds of spiritual eyes; we will focus on these two: the eye of understanding and the prophetic eye.
Spiritual eyes are mandatory for a healthy and victorious spiritual life. If you desire to make exploits spiritually, your eyes must be opened spiritually. In a prior Deshen Daily, I described three general types of human eyes: physical, mental, and spiritual. Besides, I further explained in another devotional the meaning of spiritual eyes. In summary, spiritual eyes allow us to perceive(become aware) of spiritual realities—the spiritual eye is the heart.
But there are different kinds of spiritual eyes. The first is the “prophetic eye.” This eye sees “open eye” visions of spiritual things or sees them in dreams during sleep( Numbers 12:6). For example, when Elisha prayed for his servant’s eyes to be opened, the servant was awake. Still, his physical eyes suddenly began to see spiritual realities( horses and chariots of fire) around them. However, when the servant initially came to Elisha trembling, Elisha told him,
“Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them” (2 Kings 6:16 KJV).
How did Elisha know there were more with them than with the enemy? The Scripture does not tell us plainly, but it is likely he saw just as his servant did—an open eye vision of spiritual realities, that is, the prophetic eye. Interestingly, we find a similar situation with a different kind of spiritual eye in 2 Chron. 32:7-8.
The second kind of spiritual eye is the eye of understanding. This eye perceives or becomes aware of spiritual realities through the understanding of the knowledge of God. When the King of Assyria attached Judah, king Hezekiah told the Jews in Jerusalem,
“Be strong and courageous, be not afraid nor dismayed for the king of Assyria, nor for all the multitude that is with him: for there be more with us than with him: With him is an arm of flesh, but with us is the LORD our God to help us, and to fight our battles… (2 Chronicles 32:7-8 KJV).
Hezekiah said the words that Elisha had spoken to his servants. But how did Hezekiah know that there were more with them than with the enemy? God did not open his eyes to see an open-eye vision like Elisha and his servant did. Rather than an open-eye prophetic vision, Hezekiah had come to know God and believed His promises—His understanding of the Word of God to Israel and his firm faith in it was an eye that made him see the realm of the Spirit and altered the outcome of the battle.
Paul prayed and said,
“Wherefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and love unto all the saints, Cease not 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 unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him: The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know ….” (Ephesians 1:15–18 KJV)
This is my ministry—If I can open your eyes to see Jesus in the Word as He did to mine, you will come to the fullness of the experience of the presence and power of the living Christ. May the Lord open your eyes to see, both the eye of understanding and the prophetic eye as Her chooses.
Meditate
What are spiritual eyes? What are the two types of eyes described above?
Apply the Word
You can do two things to open your spiritual eyes: ask God in prayer and take His Word into your heart.
Pray
Pray Paul’s prayer in Ephesians 1:15-18 and Elisha’s in 2 Ki. 6:17 as you ask the Father to open your eyes.
Recommended
- How to Open Your Spiritual Eyes
- What are Spiritual Eyes?
- Three Types of Eyes
- What is a Devotional?
- View All Deshen Daily Devotionals
