Hymn Story

Open the Eyes of My Heart, Lord

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“Open the Eyes of My Heart,” is a prayer––a prayer that Christ will “open the eyes of my heart,” because “I want to see You.”   It prays to see Christ “high and lifted up”––a reference both to Christ’s being lifted up on a cross and also to Christ’s exaltation, as revealed in Paul’s letter to the Philippians.  Paul first talked about Christ’s existing in the form of God, but willingly emptying himself “to take the form of a servant,” taking on human form, and submitting to death on a cross.  Then Paul says:

Therefore God also highly exalted him,

and gave to him the name which is above every name;

that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,

of those in heaven, those on earth, and those under the earth,

and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,

to the glory of God the Father.(Philippians 2:9-11).

This song had its beginning when Paul Baloche (born 1962) heard his pastor opening his prayers with the request, “Open the eyes of our hearts, Lord, that we may see you.”  Baloche recognized the wisdom of this request and turned that prayer into a song.

Seeing Christ as exalted is the first step toward faith in Christ.

Seeing Christ as exalted is also the first step toward spiritual wisdom.  Paul told the Ephesian Christians that he never ceased to pray for them:

“that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory,

may give to you a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of (Christ);

having the eyes of your hearts enlightened,

that you may know what is the hope of his calling,

and what are the riches of the glory of his inhteritance in the saints.”

(Ephesians 1:17-18; see also Colossians 1:9ff; James 1:5).

Baloche serves as a worship leader in a church, but his most significant contribution has been his song writing.  He wrote “Above All,” “Hosanna,” and “Your Name.”  His songs have been performed by Michael W. Smith and other A-list Christian recording artists.

Scripture quotations from the World English Bible.

Copyright 2014, Richard Niell Donovan