Pray With Your Eyes Open

Breaking free from the routine of religion

Life hit John upside the head. His parents had been fighting; he feared that every day might be his family’s last. His grades were slipping. He couldn’t focus. His only escape (football) was taken from him last Friday when his collarbone was snapped in two; he’s out indefinitely.

Out of desperation, he decided to do something that he never thought he would. His friend, Bill, had always invited him to church. He always talked about God and how God helps those in need. Why not give it a try? John approached Bill after practice; everyone else had gone. He laid out everything before asking, “Can you pray to your God for me?”

After listening intently for ten minutes, Bill bowed his head, folded his hands, and closed his eyes. He began to pray; John watched him. After Bill finished praying, he looked up, startled to find John staring at him with bewildered eyes. “Why did you close your eyes and do those other things?” “That’s how to pray.”

Much of what we do in the church and our spiritual lives is quite odd to those on the outside. We raise our hands in worship. Some shout, “Amen!”, during the sermon. We eat little crackers and shots of juice. We close our eyes in prayer, and end every prayer with “in Jesus’ name, amen.”

I can still remember, as a young boy (middle school age), getting to the end of a prayer, trying to remember the special word that I was supposed to say. I had no idea what it meant or why everybody always said it, but it seemed important. Sometimes I could remember it; other times I couldn’t. Life went on.

How many things within our spiritual walk do we do out of habit, without ever thinking about the meaning or another way it could be done?

Prayer is a prime example.

Almost everything about the way we pray is passed down to us. We do it because everyone else does it. Maybe you don’t fold your hands. After all, that’s not necessary, right? But I bet you still close your eyes and probably bow your head too.

Whether we’re praying for a friend or praising God alone, in all likelihood our eyes are closed, but why? We’re so conditioned to pray blind that we even have a unified response as to why. “It helps me focus.” How do we know that’s even true? Have we ever really tried to pray with our eyes open? Probably not.

The irony is that we all pray with our eyes closed for better focus, yet one of the biggest confessed obstacles to a praying life is a wandering mind. If closing our eyes is the best way to become more focused, why are most people so unfocused? Perhaps we should try something new.

Years ago I was challenged to rethink how I pray after reading the book, Disciple, by Juan Carlos Ortiz. He dedicates many words to calling out the strange habits of prayer.

For the rest of the world, when they attempt to encourage a hurting friend, they look into their eyes. They speak to the heart of the person, using the eyes as a window, so why do we look away when we pray? When we advise them, we are careful to maintain eye contact to show we’re listening and that we care, but when we pray, we look away. Why?

In some of the toughest moments of my wife’s life, I have chosen to pray for her, eyes open. When we pray, looking into the desperate eyes of brokenness, rather than looking away, we step into their suffering. They see the eyes of someone who cares deeply; they see love; they see our prayer. I have never felt more connected and invested in a prayer than in those moments, praying with my wife, eyes open. We have since begun to always pray with one another, eyes open.

Perhaps in the past, you have prayed over a disaster-stricken area, eyes open. Can you recall how your spirit interconnected with the people and the area, how God gave you fresh burden? Can you recall the depth of your prayer? Praying with eyes set on the need engages our whole being.

I’m convinced that Jesus never closed His eyes when praying for people. I’m convinced that when Jesus prayed for people, the look in His eyes was more powerful than the words in His mouth. I’m convinced that the people did not sit blindly, but that they watched Jesus as He prayed and performed miracles.

Why do we pray blind?

Consider how it might benefit you or someone else by praying, eyes open. How might you be able to minister more effectively, eyes open?

What else might we be doing out of habit with second thought?

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