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.
This verse begins with a metaphor that might be confusing to some. The eyes of our heart (literally translated as our core or the center) being enlightened (defined as shining a light on something so it can be seen) is best explained as spiritual understanding, which is guided by the Holy Spirit. One commentary I read (which I cannot seem to find again) compared the eyes of our hearts to our physical eyes. It pointed out that just like when our eyes are closed we cannot see, so it is with our hearts. A closed heart will not understand. It is out of our hearts that we think, believe, act, and feel. We know from Jeremiah 17:9 that our hearts are desperately wicked. That is why we need the Spirit to guide us in truly understanding.
This understanding is whole and full, not just intellectual. The Spirit enlightens us and makes us certain of the understanding we have and the hope of the inheritance in store for us.
The hope to which He has called us refers to the certainty we have in our salvation and what happens after we die. We see this hope outlined in the remainder of the verse where it explains His glorious inheritance we all receive upon salvation. This hope is not in general but rather it is hope in God and what He has called us all to.
Hope gives us purpose. It gives us something to live for. Hope in a glorious inheritance is hope for tomorrow and the future, not the fleeting hope of a temporal world (1 Corinthians 15:19).
I echo Paul’s prayer that your hearts would be enlightened today and your hope be in the glorious inheritance awaiting each of us.
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