See What He Sees

One of the biggest questions during the NFL's offseason, and a storyline through the first three games, has been who reigning league MVP, Aaron Rodgers, would throw to. He lost his number one weapon, Davante Adams, to the Raiders and we've been wondering who would step in. So far, we’ve seen Packers wide receivers Sammy Watkins, Christian Watson, Randall Cobb, and Allen Lazard deal with injuries while rookie Romeo Doubs, a fourth-round pick out of Nevada, has shined. On Sunday, during the Packers' win over the Bucs, Doubs caught all eight passes thrown to him for 73 yards and a touchdown. He has 137 receiving yards through three games, which leads the Packers and puts him fourth among rookie receivers across the league. Doubs gained some hype throughout the preseason and Aaron Rodgers was both critical and positive about his young wide receiver. In August, there was a meeting with the offense in hopes of getting the receivers and Rodgers on the same page. Doubs told ESPN.com, “Aaron spoke to us about what he likes or what not just based on concepts or what he sees...He just wants us to see what he sees…” It makes sense that a 4x NFL MVP and Super Bowl Champion would try to help his receivers see what he sees. Although they won’t be able to see things exactly how he does, the more time they spend learning from him, understanding how he thinks, and grasping his perspective, they'll become more effective. A rookie wide receiver doesn’t know much at first, but when he makes the effort to see the field the way his star QB does and approach the game through a similar lens, the field opens up and things become much clearer. As we parallel this to our own lives, God sees things much differently than we do. 1 Samuel 16:7 (ESV) tells us, “...For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.” Of course, we can’t see exactly what God sees, but the more time we spend learning from Him in His Word, understanding His character, His principles, and how He thinks, and grasping His perspective on things, the more effectively we’ll see what He sees. Even though we're limited in our understanding, when we seek God as our greatest desire and ask Him for wisdom and discernment, our eyes begin to open. We're given the ability to approach life through His lens as we embrace an eternal viewpoint. The “field” starts to open up and things become much clearer when we get on the same page with Him. Jesus tells us in Matthew 6:22 (AMP), “The eye is the lamp of the body; so if your eye is clear , your whole body will be full of light .” Psalm 119:18 (AMP) can be our ongoing prayer: “Open my eyes so that I may behold Wonderful things from Your law.” We can also pray for ourselves and others what Paul prayed for the saints: “...that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which He has called you, what are the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His great might…” (Ephesians 1:17-19; ESV). Today, let's open our eyes to see Jesus for who He really is and ask God to allow us to see what He sees, so we can have a much different perspective on life, people, and circumstances. I’m Bryce Johnson and you can UNPACK that! PRAYER: Heavenly Father, I pray You'd help me see things as You do. I know I’m limited, but I ask that my eyes would be opened so I can have wisdom and discernment to make good decisions and love people well. Please help me to understand Your Word better and grasp Your principles for living a life that is pleasing to You. In Jesus’ name, I pray, Amen. DISCUSSION QUESTIONS FOR PACKS: 1. In what ways has God opened your eyes to see something differently? 2. In what ways are you praying for clarity and asking God to help you see things from His perspective?