When God Opens Our Eyes – biblemens.com

BibleMens Men’s Bible Study

A Late Drive Home

Late one night, a young man named Hiram was riding home with his mother. As they got close to Montgomery, Alabama, she spotted an airport beacon and told Hiram they were nearly home.

They were on the same road, but his mother saw the one thing that told her where they were. Think about what happens when God helps us see something we’ve been looking right past.

Does God open our eyes only when we first come to Jesus, or does he keep opening them as we follow him?

When have you been sure you were seeing a situation clearly, only to realize later how much you had missed?
What’s the difference between hearing about Jesus and recognizing that you need him?

Before Christ

Isaiah 9:2

The people walking in darkness
have seen a great light;
on those living in the land of deep darkness
a light has dawned.

Historical setting Assyria had devastated the northern districts of Zebulun and Naphtali. Isaiah spoke God’s promise of light to people who had lived through that loss.

Meaning Matthew connects this promise to the beginning of Jesus’ ministry in Galilee. The light comes to people in their darkness. God takes the initiative.

Application Think of what you relied on for direction before trusting Christ, or what you rely on now when his way feels hard.

What can give a man confidence that his life is on track while keeping him from seeing his need for Jesus?
What difference does it make that the light comes to the people in Isaiah’s picture?

John 8:12

When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

Historical setting Jesus was teaching in the temple courts in Jerusalem. The Pharisees challenged his right to testify about himself.

Meaning Jesus identifies himself as the light. He promises the light of life to those who follow him.

Application Bring one decision this week under something Jesus has already taught. Consider what obedience would look like in that decision.

What might make us resist Jesus’ words even when we understand them?
Where does following Jesus change what you would do on your own?

Coming to Christ

John 9:25

He replied, “Whether he is a sinner or not, I don’t know. One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!”

Historical setting Jesus healed a man blind from birth. The religious leaders questioned the man and his parents and pressed him to condemn Jesus. Later Jesus found him again, and the man believed and worshiped him.

Meaning The man received physical sight and came to recognize who Jesus was. The leaders could physically see the man before them, yet some resisted what the healing revealed. Jesus had already rejected the assumption that this man’s blindness was caused by his or his parents’ sin.

Application If someone asks what Jesus has done in your life, give an honest answer from your own experience. It’s fine to say there are things you’re still learning.

Why do you think the leaders kept pressing the man after hearing what happened?
How would you describe what Jesus has changed in you in a sentence or two?

Acts 9:17–18

Then Ananias went to the house and entered it. Placing his hands on Saul, he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord—Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here—has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit.”
Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he could see again. He got up and was baptized,

Historical setting Saul headed to Damascus to arrest followers of Jesus. The risen Jesus confronted him on the road. Saul spent three days unable to see before Jesus sent Ananias to him.

Meaning Saul had been convinced he was serving God. Meeting Jesus exposed what his zeal was doing to Jesus’ people. Ananias called the man who had come to arrest believers his brother.

Application Think of a conviction you defend strongly. Ask how Jesus’ teaching and the counsel of a mature believer might test it.

How can someone be sincere about serving God and still be blind to what he’s doing?
Once Saul recognized Jesus, what changed in the way he saw the people he had come to arrest?

2 Corinthians 3:16

But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.

Historical setting Paul draws on Moses’ veil in Exodus. In his letter to Corinth, he uses that picture to describe what happens when people hear the old covenant and miss what it points to in Christ.

Meaning Turning to the Lord brings the removal of the veil. Later in the same chapter, Paul describes the Spirit changing those who behold the Lord’s glory. Coming to Christ begins a life of change.

Application When you read a familiar passage, ask what it shows you about Jesus and where it calls for a response.

What’s an example of knowing Bible facts while missing what God is asking of you?
How might turning to the Lord change the way you hear a passage you’ve known for years?

Acts 26:18

to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’

Historical setting Years after Damascus, Paul told King Agrippa about the risen Jesus and the mission Jesus had given him. The man who once pursued Christians was now telling others how to come to Christ.

Meaning Jesus describes opened eyes in terms of a real change of allegiance, forgiveness of sins, and a place among his people. All of it comes through faith in Christ.

Application If you’re unsure where you stand with Jesus, tell him that honestly. Ask him to help you see your need for his forgiveness and trust him.

What does Jesus say we receive when we turn to him?
Where have you seen faith in Jesus change what someone lives for?

Following Christ

Luke 24:31

Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight.

Historical setting On resurrection day, two disciples walked toward Emmaus, discouraged by Jesus’ death. Jesus joined them. Luke says they were kept from recognizing him. He explained how Scripture pointed to the Messiah’s suffering and glory, and they recognized him as he broke the bread.

Meaning These men had already followed Jesus. They still needed him to show them how the cross and resurrection fit together. Luke tells us when they recognized him and shows us what Jesus taught them along the way.

Application When disappointment shapes how you read your circumstances, bring it to Scripture. Let what Jesus has done help you rethink what you assumed was lost.

What were the disciples missing about Jesus even though they had heard about the empty tomb?
What do you understand about God today that you couldn’t see five or ten years ago?

2 Kings 6:17

And Elisha prayed, “Open his eyes, Lord, so that he may see.” Then the Lord opened the servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.

Historical setting The king of Aram sent troops to seize Elisha at Dothan. Elisha’s servant saw the city surrounded. Elisha prayed, and the servant saw the Lord’s protection surrounding them.

Meaning The servant’s physical eyes were working. The threat he saw was real, and God showed him something else that was just as real. The passage gives us reason to trust God when our view is limited.

Application In a situation you can’t make sense of, name the facts you do know and pray for wisdom about your next faithful step.

What changed for the servant when God opened his eyes, even while the army was still there?
What situation are you looking at mostly through fear right now?

Learning to Walk in the Light

Ephesians 1:18

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,

Paul prays this for people who already believe. He wants them to grasp more deeply the hope God has already given them. That gives us words for a prayer we can pray for ourselves and for other men in the group.

Psalm 119:18

Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law.

Try making this your prayer before you read Scripture this week. When a passage brings something to mind that needs to change, write down one step you can take.

What helps you hear correction from Scripture or from another believer when you’d rather explain yourself?
How could you make room this week to ask God for clearer sight in an ordinary part of your day?

Romans 7:24–25

What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!

So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God’s law, but in my sinful nature a slave to the law of sin.

Paul gives voice to the frustration of knowing what is right and still doing what he hates. Evangelical readers differ on exactly whose experience Paul is describing here. Paul’s answer to the cry for rescue is Jesus Christ. That’s where we can turn when we recognize sin we’ve struggled to leave behind.

1 John 1:9

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

In this part of his letter, John describes walking in the light and being honest about our sin. When God helps us see a wrong we’ve excused, we can confess it and trust him to forgive and cleanse us.

What changes when you name a sin honestly before God instead of keeping it vague?
Where could confession lead to a concrete step this week, such as making things right with someone?

Sources and Translation Notice

Enduring Word Isaiah 9 • John 8 • Luke 24 • 2 Kings 6 • Romans 7

BibleRef John 9:25 • Acts 9:17 • Acts 9:18 • Acts 26:18 • 2 Corinthians 3:16 • Ephesians 1:18 • 1 John 1:9

Original photo by Alexander Cafarella. A distant beacon was added to the image.

The Song and the Scriptures

That young man was Hank Williams. Biographer Colin Escott recounts the airport beacon story as the inspiration for “I Saw the Light.” The connections below follow David Crowder Band’s 2005 recording on A Collision.

Read the full lyrics to “I Saw the Light” as recorded on A Collision.

First Verse — Jesus Comes to a Man Who’s Pushing Him Away

2 Corinthians 3:16 and Acts 9:17–18 Paul says the veil comes off when we turn to the Lord. He knew firsthand what it was like for Jesus to meet him while he was still opposing him.

Chorus — Joy at Leaving Darkness Behind

John 8:12 and Acts 26:18 Jesus promises the light of life to those who follow him. He sends Paul to tell people how they can come out of darkness and receive forgiveness.

Johnny Cash’s Verse — Daybreak After Being Lost

Isaiah 9:2 Light dawns on people already in deep darkness. The image of sunrise captures what it feels like when God shows us a way we couldn’t see.

Hank Williams’s Next Verse — A Blind Man Receives His Sight

John 9:25 The man who was born blind can tell the leaders exactly what changed. Jesus gave him sight, and later the man recognized who Jesus was.

David Crowder’s Ending — Praise Beyond Death

Revelation 22:5 Crowder’s final verse looks ahead to life with God beyond death. In Revelation, God himself gives his people light forever.

There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever.

Sources Colin Escott’s biography • A Collision recording • Crowder’s account • Revelation 22:5

David Crowder and Hank Williams’ Jacket

David Crowder told this story in his August 8, 2005 blog entry, “The Story of Marty Stuart and The Rather Understated Jacket.”

Jason Solley’s grandfather loved the band and thought they should play some bluegrass. Crowder brushed off the idea at first, then started looking into bluegrass and gospel songs.
Jason suggested Marty Stuart. Crowder laughed. None of them knew Marty. The next day they ran into him backstage in Nashville and exchanged numbers.
One Sunday, Crowder’s wife called him in to see Johnny Cash singing “I Saw the Light” on TV. Crowder knew they’d found their song.
About a year later, Marty invited them to his warehouse near Nashville. It was full of stage clothes, instruments, and memorabilia. They sat talking for 45 minutes, even about Red Bull.
Marty brought out a plain light-blue jacket. It fit perfectly. Marty kept saying “Cinderella.” Then he showed Crowder an album cover with Hank Williams wearing the same jacket.
Crowder remembered seeing Hank wear it on a TV countdown that ranked “I Saw the Light” first among gospel songs.
Marty showed him Hank’s handwritten draft of the song, cross-outs and all. Crowder finally told him it was the very song they planned to record. Marty hadn’t known.

What Crowder Took from It

Crowder heard something honest in the way Hank Williams and Johnny Cash could sing about their failures and then sing about Jesus. To him, the struggle was real, and he believed the light would win in the end.

A grandfather’s comment, a backstage meeting, a song on TV, a jacket, and a handwritten draft looked like separate events until Crowder saw them together. His story gives us room to wonder where God may have been at work in our own lives. We can leave the details we can’t explain with him.

Closing prayer Lord Jesus, thank you for opening our eyes to you. Help us see what we’ve been missing in your Word and in our own lives. Give us the courage to confess what you bring to light and to do what you show us. Amen.

Salvation opens our eyes to Jesus. We never reach a point where we no longer need God to help us see.

Two Questions to Take Home

Have you ever looked back at events in your life and wondered whether God was working through circumstances you didn’t understand at the time?
What might God be trying to show you right now that you haven’t yet opened your eyes to see?