Ephesians 1:18-19
I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, ¹⁹ and his incomparably great power for us who believe. (NIV)

The way we see the world determines how we move in life and relationships. Our behavior is determined by how we imagine the world to be.

Today’s passage is a prayer from Paul that the people of Ephesus would be enlightened in their hearts to help them imagine the world differently from what they see. His prayer was their adoption of how God imagines each moment of their life.

We see pain, but God imagines maturity. We see division, but God sees the clarification of spirits. We see hatred, debauchery, and sin, but God sees a lost child. We see lack, but God imagines anticipation before a miracle. In all things God is calling us to see each moment as He sees it. To see what God sees brings comfort and confidence replacing fear and dismay.

Transcending into how God sees each moment is not completely an intellectual endeavor. It begins this way, but then it must transition into the heart. We must read, know, learn, and teach the Biblical principles of faith. But then we need for the Spirit to write these upon our hearts so that we don’t simply know from an intellectual perspective how we should view the moment, but we actually have the same mindset as Christ.

The Bible says that God will write his law upon our hearts, but in other places, we are commanded to write them upon our hearts. It takes a combined effort to get how God sees each moment into our hearts.

By the Spirit, He teaches us the law and how we are to behave. By the Spirit, He gives us the self-discipline to do what He says. By the Spirit, He gives us an understanding of how His way works. But then we must make the effort to lay aside our human understanding to take hold of what He has revealed. Our part is to make use of the power He has given us in understanding, self-discipline, and love.

He is always faithful to do His part, but when we do ours, it creates a mystical union where our thoughts are replaced by His, and our feelings are replaced by His. His law is written on our hearts.