A Prayer for Open Eyes

Hagar was in the wilderness, dying.

She had been sent away from Abraham's household with her son Ishmael, wandering in the desert of Beersheba. When the water ran out, she couldn't bear to watch her child die. She placed him under a bush, sat a bowshot away, and wept.

Then God heard the boy crying. The angel of God called to Hagar from heaven: “What is the matter, Hagar? Do not be afraid; God has heard the boy crying as he lies there. Lift the boy up and take him by the hand, for I will make him into a great nation.”

“Then God opened her eyes and she saw a well of water. So she went and filled the skin with water and gave the boy a drink.”

This wasn't the first time. Earlier, when pregnant and fleeing from Sarah's harsh treatment, the angel of the Lord found her by a spring in the desert. He told her to return and submit. She responded by giving God a name:

“She gave this name to the Lord who spoke to her: 'You are the God who sees me,' for she said, 'I have now seen the One who sees me.'”

El Roi—the God who sees. He sees you in your wilderness. He sees your need. He sees the provision He has already placed near you. But you need your eyes opened to see it too.

Centuries later, another servant needed his eyes opened.

The king of Aram was at war with Israel. But every time he planned an ambush, the prophet Elisha warned the Israelite king. The Aramean king was furious, convinced there was a spy. His officers told him: “None of us, my lord the king, but Elisha, the prophet who is in Israel, tells the king of Israel the very words you speak in your bedroom.”

So the Aramean king sent horses, chariots, and a strong force to capture Elisha. They arrived by night and surrounded the city. When Elisha's servant woke early the next morning, he saw an army with horses and chariots surrounding them.

“Oh no, my lord! What shall we do?” he cried.

Elisha's response was calm: “Don't be afraid. Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.”

“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.”

This is why this prayer matters. You may be sitting next to a well of provision and not see it. You may be surrounded by angelic protection and not perceive it. You may have divine appointments waiting for you—open doors that no one can shut—but your natural eyes cannot detect them.

This prayer asks the God who sees to open your eyes too. To show you what has been there all along. To reveal the opportunities, provision, and breakthroughs He has prepared for you before the foundation of the world.