By David Faust
When you walk down the sidewalk in a big city, do you notice that pedestrians avoid making eye contact? The same thing happens on elevators, buses, and subways. An unwritten rule forbids looking others in the eye. It’s creepy if a stranger looks directly at your face.
In some situations, though, the best way to communicate is eyeball to eyeball. Effective public speakers make eye contact with their audience. Husbands and wives nurture affection by looking each other in the eyes and saying, “I love you.” When parents correct their kids, they often say, “Look at me!”
Eye contact can be uncomfortable. When Jesus’ critics scrutinized his actions because they suspected he was going to heal someone on the Sabbath day, he “looked around at them with anger . . . deeply distressed at their stubborn hearts” (Mark 3:5). In his encounter with the rich young ruler, the Lord “looked at him and loved him” (Mark 10:21)—making it obvious he cared, although the man still turned and walked away. In a heart-wrenching moment, “The Lord turned and looked straight at Peter” after the impetuous fisherman denied him three times (Luke 22:61).
God constantly pays attention. “The eyes of the Lord are everywhere, keeping watch on the wicked and the good” (Proverbs 15:3). The psalmist David wanted to return the Lord’s gaze. He prayed, “Your face, Lord, I will seek” (Psalm 27:8). Eye-opening things happen when we seek God’s face. Here are three prayers that can help.
“Lord, open my eyes to understand your Word.”
Some Scriptures are difficult to understand, but comprehension improves when a Bible reader prays, “Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law” (Psalm 119:18).
“Lord, open my eyes to see what you’re doing in your world.”
Strife fills nations and neighborhoods. Violence and victimization, wars and rumors of wars abound. It’s obvious that Satan is hard at work; do we recognize what God is doing?
“Since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made” (Romans 1:20).
Even in dark, dangerous times, it’s possible to see God’s creative artistry in nature, his loving wisdom in answered prayers, his gracious work in transformed lives, and his providential supervision over history’s ebb and flow. The songwriter assures us, “This is my Father’s world,” and “though the wrong seems oft’ so strong, God is the ruler yet.”
“Lord, open my eyes to see your people.”
Spiritual nearsightedness drives us to care mainly about ourselves, but Christ calls us to follow a different rule: “No one should seek their own good, but the good of others” (1 Corinthians 10:24). When God opens the eyes of our hearts (Ephesians 1:18), we will no longer turn a blind eye to others around us. Instead of regarding our neighbors “from a worldly point of view,” we will see their potential to be new creatures in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:16-17). Instead of insisting on our own way, we will sacrifice our personal preferences and remove obstacles that prevent others from hearing and believing the gospel.
After all, everyone is made in God’s image—even strangers who avoid eye contact on crowded sidewalks and elevators. Behind those eyes that look away are souls who need to know God loves them.
Personal Challenge: Pray for God to open your eyes to his Word, his world, and his people—including others you tend to overlook or avoid.
I’m an old man. Eye contact has always been an important habit for me. I look and smile at every one as I meet and greet them.
Of course, some people do not respond but most do. Some will stop and chat. This gives me a chance to witness the love of Christ to them. Even if a person ignores my smile and greeting, I feel like I have represented Jesus in a very small way.
As a people set on restoring amongst ourselves the NT’s 1st century ‘features’, it seems ‘we’ ought to also look at ‘the Evil Eye’ prevalent in that NT century. Not difficult to discover that it was a real thing at that time. Likely not one of those things we can dismiss as contained only back then. There is fascinating and informative and useful Information to be Learned, Known, Understood for today’s disciples of Jesus.