“Let me see this world, dear Lord, as though I were looking through Your eyes” is the opening line of a song by Mike Otto, arranged by Faye Lopez. They form the core of this study encouraging us to see as God sees.
Several passages in Scripture suggest that we can learn to see as God sees. One example is Ephesians 1:18-23, which speaks of “the eyes of your understanding being enlightened.” At the same time, 1 Corinthians 5:7 plainly reminds us, “For we walk by faith, not by sight.”
Since the early 1980s, I have often wondered what it would be like to see as God sees. In fact, I cannot begin to count how many times Mike Otto’s lyrics have been part of my prayers.
I have tried to look at my life—and life in general—through His lenses, but I confess it is harder than it seems. I began by viewing things through the lens of God’s law and quickly became skilled at identifying sin and righteousness. The problem was that I also became condemning, judgmental, and self-righteous—a self-appointed sin detector. Who needed the Holy Spirit to convict the world of sin when I was already doing it for Him?
Then I tried to see through God’s lens of love. I loved God and others deeply, knowing that no commandment is greater than love (Mark 12:30–31). But although I was no longer critical or judgmental, I affirmed others without addressing sin and became too passive. I looked the other way, stayed silent, and avoided conflict. In both cases, I was not seeing as God sees—I was still relying on my own perspective.
It soon became clear that I was no closer to seeing through God’s eyes than before. Over time, 1 Samuel 16:7 began to change my thinking: “The LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.”
Without using any resources, take a few minutes to write what you think it means to see through God’s eyes. As you work through this study, you can compare your response with what you learn
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