Eye Hath Not Seen

“But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.” 1 Cor. 2:9

These words were first written in Isaiah 64:4, “For since the beginning of the world men have not heard, nor perceived by the ear, neither hath the eye seen, O God, beside thee, what he hath prepared for him that waiteth for him.”  Thus, we have the same glorious promise stated by Isaiah to Zion; later echoed by the Apostle Paul to the Corinthians and today again I’ll repeat it in my own inimitable style: My friends, you cannot even begin to imagine. Though we should struggle to visualize what lies before us; we can because it was made possible by the precious blood of the Lamb. If you think you’ve heard; if you think you’ve seen; if you think you have ever felt what God has prepared for us who love Him, you haven’t, but we should try for our encouragement. We can know no sweeter words, wondrous sights, or pounding hearts of love compared to what our Father has prepared for us. We have no idea because as long as we continue to live in this world of sin and darkness where the angels voices and trumpets are muted; the sights now seen are polluted, and the pounding of our hearts are so woefully limited within a mortal’s breast.

And who of us truly love Him? How is it that we love Him, except that He first loved us, and while we were yet sinners gave Himself for us? But after we left the cross and started our journey, did we find ourselves like Christian in John Bunyan’s ‘Pilgrim’s Progress’ suffering hardships in the way and troubles day and night? If you have, take heart! For ‘eye hath not seen, nor ear hath heard, and this life is but a vapor!’ Do not despair of the travel; lift up your eyes and press forward. If you are among those of the Church of Ephesus, who have grown complacent return to your first love, Jesus. (Rev. 2:4)

Or, perhaps along the way, the Devil approached God about you as he did with Job, but in your case, he said, ‘You know God, if you give him all that he desires on earth, he will curse you and will abandon any thought of what you’ve prepared for him. If you just allow me to send; such as you allowed with the Nicolatians, those who will promise riches in your name, he will turn! How little does anyone know that I am the one that takes from the sinner and then gives back what I took, and I get the praise! You are so wrong God that any man would hold out for what you have prepared, especially since they cannot hear, see or feel it. I make sure they do. It keeps them in their slumber.’

To that I say, dear friends, do not be taken in; even as the Lord said to the Church of Laodicea, please heed His call: “I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eye salve, that thou mayest see.” (Rev. 3:18) And again, “For what is a man advantaged, if he gain the whole world, and lose himself, or be cast away?” (Luke 9:25)

Indeed, let us consider our ways. By God’s grace let us raise our eyes to see. Let us pray for ears to hear and that our hearts pound with an ever-increasing intensity and sounding as the day that the Lord has prepared for us is fast approaching.

“Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him.
Even so, I will defend my own ways before Him.” (Job 13:15)