Ewald Schmidt

“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,  and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms…”  Ephesians 1:18-20 (NIV)

Paul prayed that the eyes of our hearts may be opened, that we may see our hopeful destiny, and follow him to our glorious inheritance. We have a bright future following Christ. But it also calls for a radical change of direction in our lives. He has planned a life of excellence for us, and he gives us new dreams and visions. A good vision in life should be very scary, overwhelming you with its magnitude. But it takes a lot of energy and mental strength to leave behind your comfort zone, and reach out towards your destiny.

For the greatest part of human history we never thought it possible to leave planet Earth. In 1963, John F Kennedy challenged his nation to send a man to the moon (and return him back home safely) before the decade had run out. The greatest challenge they had to overcome was the gravitational force of our planet. According to Tsiolkovsky’s rocket equation a speed of 11 km per second is needed to break free from earth’s gravitational force. For that to be reached, over 90% of a space rocket’s weight must consist of the propulsion fuel needed, and most of it will be burnt in the first minute of flight. It takes 10 kg of fuel to lift 1 kg of weight from planet Earth at the moment of lift-off. My point is this: You can jump as high as you can, you will never leave earth by your own power. A much greater force is needed!

My comfort zone and my old ways also have such a huge attractional force in my life. I need much greater power than I have, to break free from old ways, and to reach my destiny. That is why Paul prayed that my spiritual eyes would be opened, to see that God had already given me that great power to change. He wants to free me from all the baggage holding me back, he wants to lift me up on eagle’s wings! (Isaiah 40:31)

Prayer:  Lord, while I feel so secure in my comfort zone, my heart yearns for so much more. You have called me to a life of excellence, and you have given me a new vision in life. It is so difficult to break free and be set in motion. Open the eyes of my heart, so that I may see your awesome power already working in me. Break me free from everything holding me back, and lift me up on eagle’s wings! Amen