A few years ago, my family and I drove along the Grossglockner High Alpine Road, which winds through some of Austria’s most breathtaking scenery. Stretching 48 km from Fusch to Heiligenblut, the route is surrounded by towering peaks, sweeping valleys, dense forests, and vast glaciers, culminating at the foot of the majestic Grossglockner mountain. While the engineering behind the road is remarkable, the natural beauty revealed at every turn was simply breathtaking. We stood in awe at several viewpoints along the journey. Yet even this beauty and complexity are only a glimpse of the wonders of creation when we take time to study the intricacies of nature. It is no surprise that the Psalmist, in Psalm 8:1,3-4, exclaimed: 1 Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! ... 3 When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, 4 what is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them? As magnificent as nature is, it is nothing compared to the love God has for us. The Psalmist marvels that the Creator of such glory is mindful of humanity. He was continually captivated by the greatness of God. Sadly, many of us today are hardly moved by God's glory and power, which surround us every day, because: a) We are too focused on our disappointments and problems. b) We are too busy pursuing endless desires and worldly passions. c) We lack the spiritual insight needed to see and understand God and His works. The first two reasons are significant contributors to our spiritual dullness, but my focus here is the third. We need God's help to see Him for who He truly is. If our eyes were opened to see Him as He really is: • We would submit ourselves more fully to Him. • We would respond in worship and give Him the reverence He truly deserves. • Overcome fears and frustrations as we recognize His greatness and sovereignty. • Be filled with joy regardless of our circumstances because we understand His great love for us. Certainly, we must take responsibility—turning our eyes away from our challenges, reprioritizing our lives, and rejecting worldly passions. Yet beyond all this, we need God to reveal Himself more clearly to us. We need Him to open the eyes of our hearts and minds. This is a deep spiritual need, one that can only be met through prayer. Today, I want us to begin asking specifically for this grace—that God would open our eyes to know Him more fully. The apostle Paul gives us the language for such a prayer in Ephesians 1:16-21, and I invite us to pray it for ourselves: Eph. 1:16-17 16 ... I pray for you constantly, 17 asking God... to give you spiritual wisdom and insight so that you might grow in your knowledge of God. 18 I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope he has given to those he called—his holy people... 19 I also pray that you will understand the incredible (immeasurable) greatness of God’s power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power 20 that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God’s right hand in the heavenly realms. 21 Now he is far above any ruler or authority or power or leader or anything else—not only in this world but also in the world to come. 22 God has put all things under the authority of Christ and has made him head over all things for the benefit of the church. Blessings, Henry Ovri