“The word of the LORD came to me: “What do you see, Jeremiah?” “I see the branch of an almond tree,” I replied. The LORD said to me, “You have seen correctly, for I am watching to see that my word is fulfilled.”” (Jer 1:11-12NIV)
Why has God given us eyes? Obviously, it is so that we can see with them. But being able to see with our eyes is one thing; being able to see whatever we see with our eyes correctly is another thing. If we do not or cannot see correctly what is before us, then, whatever judgment or decision we are going to make about that thing is going to be faulty. All of this is why we all need and, in fact, want eyes that are sound.
But then, it is possible for us to have eyes that are sound and still not being seeing correctly. And that is because though we are looking, we are not making effort to concentrate and see what we actually need to see. Jesus, once while addressing the Jews, said that it is possible for one to be looking and not seeing what he is meant to see (Mark 4:12). That means even though that person is looking and seeing many things, he is not really seeing what is of relevance or benefit to him. And when we cannot see what is of relevance or benefit to us, we cannot take advantage of it for our progress or safety.
In our opening bible text, God asked Jeremiah, “What do you see?” And when he replied, God told him that he had seen correctly. If he had not seen correctly, there was no way he would have been able to comprehend or utilize what God had wanted to tell him about the matter at hand. But because he saw what God was showing him correctly, God was able to further instruct him about what He wanted him to do.
Why, then, was Jeremiah able to see what God wanted him to see correctly? It was because he was looking attentively. Once, when Ezekiel was having some visions of God, he was told by the angel sent to him that he would need to pay a close attention to what he was going to be shown and told. Otherwise, he was going to waste the opportunity he was being given to see certain things about the future of his people. (Cf. Ezek 40:1-4)
So, if we are going to be able to take advantage of whatever God is showing us or the happenings around us, we must pay attention to whatever we are seeing on purpose. Many who are slow learners today are so not because something is wrong with their brains but because they hardly pay attention on purpose to what they are being shown or taught.
Also, many who usually miss out on opportunities for advancement around them or who are often getting injured or losing things by accidents experience these things not because life is against them but because they hardly pay attention on purpose to what is happening around them. Yes, these ones have eyes that are good enough to see everything happening around them. But because they are never intent on seeing what could be of benefit or salvation to them from the things they can see, they often miss out on what is meant for their peace, protection or prosperity.
For example, when Ishmael, Hagar’s son, was dying of thirst in the desert, all her mother could do was sob and wait for him to die. But there was actually a well of water right where they were that they could drink from and live. Yet, until God spoke to Hagar and opened her eyes to see it, none of the two of them saw it, even though their eyes were wide open. (Cf. Gen 21:14-19)
Why did they not see it? First, it was because they were not intently looking for water in that place. And why were they not looking for water on purpose there? It was most likely because they thought it was useless to do so, seeing that the place was a desert.
In the same vein, there are times that we don’t see certain things we are meant to see in life because of assumptions. We just assume that those things cannot just be where we are. So, we don’t look out for them on purpose. But those things may just be there. And it is when someone else lays hands on them and begins to utilize them for his own progress or safety that we will wake up and begin to wish we too had been more careful and attentive in looking. But time may have run out on us by then. So, don’t ever again assume that something cannot be somewhere until you have diligently looked or sought for it. Otherwise, your assumption may end up being a very costly one.
Another reason Hagar and her son did not see that well of water before God spoke to them was that it was not revealed to them. As I pointed out before, they were in a desert. And that was a very unusual place to find a well of water. Yet it was there. So, if it had not been divinely revealed to them, even if they had been looking out for it on purpose, they may not have seen it.
That, then, means that it takes divine revelations to see what we need to see in certain places in life. Otherwise, however hard we look for those things, we will not see or find them. Thankfully, God has promised to show us great and unsearchable things of life, if we will learn to pray to Him (Jer 33;3). So, if we want our eyes to be seeing the things we need to see in life and to be seeing them correctly, even in unusual places, we must learn to pray to God for divine revelations. And as we do so, our eyes will daily see correctly all that we need to see for our progress, elevation and safety in life.
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