Pray Psalm 29.1, 2.
Give unto the LORD, O you mighty ones,
Give unto the LORD glory and strength.
Give unto the LORD the glory due to His name;
Worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness.
Sing Psalm 29.1, 2.
(Toulon: I Greet Thee, Who My Sure Redeemer Art)
Give praise to God, you children of the earth!
Tell of His strength, proclaim His glorious worth!
Give to the LORD the glory due His Name!
Worship in holiness; His grace proclaim!
Read Ephesians 1.1-23; meditate on verses 18-20.
What does Paul want you to see with the eyes of the heart? Where is Jesus seated?
Preparation
1. How should we see Jesus at this time?
2. What is His purpose in saving us?
Meditation
Psalm 29 is constructed to focus our minds on God. His Name, or pronouns referring to Him, occur 22 times in 11 verses! The psalm was perhaps written for David’s small children (“sons of the mighty one”, v. 1) who may have been frightened by a storm (vv. 3-8). It was intended both to comfort and re-orient them, so that they remembered they belonged to the sovereign LORD of heaven and earth.
Paul does something like this in Ephesians 1. Woven throughout these 23 verses are 57 (at least!) mentions of God—Father, Son, Holy Spirit, and pronouns referring to Him). Chapter 1, we need to know, is all about God, and especially, all about Jesus, and the grace that has been revealed to us.
This is important for what will follow in the rest of this epistle. Paul will review how we came to be saved and what the implications of that are. He will explain our place and role in building the Church as the very image of Jesus. And He will break down a good bit of the nitty-gritty that goes into laying firm hold on all the blessings of the Lord and encouraging others to seize them as well. Finally, he will remind us that, like David’s children, the Lord is our protection in the terrifying spiritual warfare we must be ready for every day. We need not fear, only look to Jesus, Who holds the whole world in His hands, and Satan and his ilk on a tight chain.
We would do well to train the eyes of our heart to see Jesus more clearly, more consistently, and more compellingly. For seeing Him—with Whom we have been seated in heavenly places—we gain the perspective, purpose, and power we need to be filled and to fill our world with Him.
He rules all creation. He was enthroned over the flood, but He relinquished His seat for a time so that He could redeem us for Himself. Now He is enthroned again forever. And we are His Body, the fullness of Him Who is filling all things in all things.
Treasure Old and New: Matthew 13.52; Psalm 119.162
As His Body, the fullness of Him Who is filling all things in all things, the simplest way for us to see Him is to trust Him—fully, completely, comprehensively, obediently, with our eyes wide open towards Him and His Word—believing all things about Him.
The prophet Elisha was in Gilgal. And there was a terrible famine. He was teaching and mentoring the sons of the other prophets and wanted to be hospitable to them. So, he thought, “Stew”! That’s always a good meal to stretch and feed a crowd. “Put on a large pot and boil stew.” So, he resourcefully sent one of his helpers out to forage for something to throw into the large pot with the boiling water. “So one went out into the field to gather herbs, and found a wild vine, and gathered from it a lapful of wild gourds, and came and sliced them into the pot of stew, though they did not know what they were.” So far so good.
“Then they served it to the men to eat. Now it happened, as they were eating the stew, that they cried out and said, ‘Man of God, there is death in the pot!’” Yikes! “And they could not eat it.”
So, Elisha said, “Then bring some flour.” “And he put it into the pot, and said, ‘Serve it to the people, that they may eat.’ And there was nothing harmful in the pot” (2 Kgs. 4.38-41).
Now, I’m fairly certain the prophet Elisha was not known about town as the greatest chef; or the prophet with unimaginable culinary skills. And yet, the sons of the other prophets trusted him, and trusted God enough to just do what he said. They believed every word. With the eyes of the heart—the eyes of faith.
There was nothing magical about the flour. It had no healing powers.
God simply chose to make the poisonous into palatable stew. Just because.
All were blessed because of belief.
At one point in Jesus’ earthly ministry, when disrespect for Him was rampant, it was written, “Now He did not do many mighty works there because of their unbelief” (Matt. 13.58).
For the eyes of our understanding to be enlightened, for us to know the hope of His calling on our lives and the riches of the glory of His inheritance for us, we must believe fully that Christ died and was raised from the dead (Eph. 1.18-20). Additionally, that belief must lead us to serve Him as Savior, Lord, and reigning King. Without allegiance to another, only to Him.
And we must believe and act upon every Word that proceeds from the mouth of God. As Jesus said, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God” (Matt. 4.4). And every Word of God is found in the Scriptures—Old and New.
Every day. Seeking to see Him and learning to obey Him. Trusting always. “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” (Prov. 3.5, 6).
When God tells us to obey Him, we do. Even when it’s like throwing flour in some stew.
Reflection
1. Have you begun praying with thanksgiving for all the spiritual blessings God has bestowed upon you? Should you? Explain.
2. How would you counsel a new believer to begin “seeing” Jesus with the eyes of the heart? Why should your friend do this?
3. What part of “all things” will you fill with Jesus today? How should you prepare?
His phrase “eyes of the heart” clearly refers to those things we cannot understand without sense and intelligence.… Faith sees beyond what the physical eyes see. Jerome (347-420), Epistle to the Ephesians 1.1.15 Seq.
Pray Psalm 29.3-11.
Thank and praise the Lord for all His many benefits and for His steadfast love, unfailing Word, and glorious might and power. Call on Him to fill you today, that you may fill your world with Him.
Sing Psalm 29.3-11.
(Toulon: I Greet Thee, Who My Sure Redeemer Art)
Over the waters, over thunder’s roll,
God’s voice creation’s mighty pow’rs controls!
Cedars collapse at His majestic Word;
nations are shaken by our mighty LORD!
God speaks and lightning streaks across the sky;
by His decree He shakes the desert dry.
Speak, LORD, and life to beasts and men is giv’n.
Forests dissolve, and glory rings in heav’n.
Sovereign, the LORD sat o’er the raging flood;
Sovereign forever rules our gracious God!
God will His people bless with strength and peace:
LORD, may Your holy Word to us increase!
T. M. and Susie Moore
If you have found this meditation helpful, take a moment and give thanks to God. Then share what you learned with a friend. This is how the grace of God spreads (2 Cor. 4.15).
Other columns of interest this week: In our ReVision series on “The Kingdom Economy” we are looking at commerce from a Kingdom perspective. Our Read Moore podcast continues readings from the book, Such a Great Salvation. In our Crosfigell series on Brendan of Clonfert, the saint is making progress in his journey to find The Promised Land of the Saints. Click here to see all the other columns and writers available to you.
And please prayerfully consider supporting The Fellowship of Ailbe with your prayers and gifts. You can contribute online, via PayPal or Anedot, or by sending a gift to The Fellowship of Ailbe, P. O. Box 8213, Essex, VT 05451.
Except as indicated, all Scriptures are taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. For sources of all quotations, see the weekly PDF of this study. All psalms for singing are from The Ailbe Psalter.
