Article July 14, 1923 Issue

Spiritual Vision

HELEN LUDLOW JACOBY

In the thirteenth chapter of Genesis we read, "The Lord said unto Abram, ... Lift up now thine eyes, and look from the place where thou art northward, and southward, and eastward, and westward: for all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever."

When the Lord appeared unto Abram and made the promise that all the land which he saw should be his, Abram, eager to reestablish himself after his separation from Lot, was wise enough to obey the command, which was the condition of the promise. The Lord said, "Lift up now thine eyes, and look." Accustomed to obey, Abram understood that the magnitude of the Lord's gift depended upon his once more implicitly following His command. He realized that upon his following the direction to lift up his eyes and look depended the extent of the land which was to belong to him and unto his seed forever; for the Lord said, "All the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it." Reluctance to obey would have narrowed his possessions; but obedience in lifting up his eyes and looking from the place where he stood, in all directions, widened his vision immeasurably, and consequently enlarged the scope of his newly possessed land. By looking eagerly in all directions, his little domain grew into a heritage of innumerable acres. All he needed to do was to look up,—to look away from the place where he stood.

How often we limit our possessions by tenaciously, stubbornly, gazing down at our feet! How we fear that if we look up and away, the very ground upon which we are standing, and which is all that we seem to possess, that even that little, limited holding may vanish from our sight! How often we anxiously view our slim stores, and keep our gaze fixed upon them, instead of lifting our eyes to behold the glorious universe over which God gave man dominion! The limited material sense of possession becomes, not only useless to us, but a burden, the care of which brings us fear and anxiety.

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The Elder Brother
July 14, 1923
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