The people of God in Isaiah’s time had blinded their minds’ ability
to see God by looking on the face of idols. But Isaiah made them look
up at the heavens; that is, he made them begin to use their power to
think and to visualize correctly. If we are children of God, we have a
tremendous treasure in nature and will realize that it is holy and
sacred. We will see God reaching out to us in every wind that blows,
every sunrise and sunset, every cloud in the sky, every flower that
blooms, and every leaf that fades, if we will only begin to use our
blinded thinking to visualize it.
The real test of spiritual focus is being able to bring your mind and
thoughts under control. Is your mind focused on the face of an idol? Is
the idol yourself? Is it your work? Is it your idea of what a servant
should be, or maybe your experience of salvation and sanctification? If
so, then your ability to see God is blinded. You will be powerless when
faced with difficulties and will be forced to endure in darkness. If
your power to see has been blinded, don’t look back on your own
experiences, but look to God. It is God you need. Go beyond yourself and
away from the faces of your idols and away from everything else that
has been blinding your thinking. Wake up and accept the ridicule that
Isaiah gave to his people, and deliberately turn your thoughts and your
eyes to God.
One of the reasons for our sense of futility in prayer is that we
have lost our power to visualize. We can no longer even imagine putting
ourselves deliberately before God. It is actually more important to be
broken bread and poured-out wine in the area of intercession than in our
personal contact with others. The power of visualization is what God
gives a saint so that he can go beyond himself and be firmly placed into
relationships he never before experienced.
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