ASK #004 - Be Ever So Watchful

 written:  11/26/2021

Be Ever So Watchful

Psalm 130:5-6 NIV

I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits, and in his word I put my hope.  I wait for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning.

Keeping watch...watchmen were those who have an advantage and were placed at a point to spot things before others.  This is what happens when we pray.  God gives us the ability to connect with the Holy Spirit and see things that others may not see.  We become watchmen for the Lord.

Prayer opens our spiritual eyes to God’s plans; we get a God’s eye view on things.  I was reminded about a way that our brain works (from the devotional book:  Draw the Circle: The 40 Day Prayer Challenge by Mark Batterson).  There is a part of our brain at the base called the reticular activating system (RAS).  This system monitors our environment.  I am sure you have all had moments like this.  Say you purchase a new vehicle...ALL OF THE SUDDEN...you see that same type of vehicle all over the place.  Or maybe your best friend just announces that she is pregnant and now you notice pregnant women wherever you go.  In these two examples those things have always existed. You have just now activated your RAS and those connections are being made in your brain.  You are now noticing what your brain has connected to your environment.  

The same thing happens with prayer.  When you pray for something your RAS connects your prayers to your environment.  You now notice answers and things related to your prayers.  God has created us to be these intricate beings.  It is no coincidence, as the world will try to tell you.  This is a providence that comes from God.

Prayer opens a whole new world and allows God to activate your RAS causing you to see the opportunities God has set before you.  Perhaps they have been there all along.  But by praying and allowing God and the Holy Spirit to work in you, you are allowing for those connections in your brain.  The more you pray, the more you will notice.  Prayer isn’t simply you speaking to God.  God answers you.  This creates a dialogue with Him.

Just as a newborn child has to develop their eyesight we too need to develop our spiritual eyes.  When a child is born they only have a small diameter of sight and can see only in black and white.  As they grow and mature so does their eyesight.  This is the same with a Christian, their spiritual walk and their spiritual eyes.

We are limited to the five senses of sight, sound, smell, taste and touch.  But when we pray and allow the Holy Spirit in we open a sixth sense....our spiritual vision.  The Holy Spirit allows us to see the invisible and hear the inaudible.  Not all of our lives can be experienced through our five basic senses.  We MUST connect with the Holy Spirit through prayer to “unlock” the sixth sense of our spiritual vision.  When we open our spiritual eyes we see God all over.  We see the image of God in others.  We see God’s handiwork in all His glorious creation.  We see the world through God’s eyes.