When the Lord looks at us with “eyes like blazing fire” it seems that kind of penetrating gaze might hurt terribly. It might blind us forever. We might lower our heads, drop to our knees, and shield our face fearfully from the intensity. Maybe the only hope is to survive some painful purification by fire.
But there is a surprise for us in Thyatira: a revelation showing us more about the heart of Jesus.
“To the angel of the church in Thyatira write:
These are the words of the Son of God, whose eyes are like blazing fire and whose feet are like burnished bronze. I know your deeds, your love and faith, your service and perseverance, and that you are now doing more than you did at first.” Revelation 2:18-19 NIV
These are the blazing eyes from whom nothing can be hidden. They shine with unimaginable insight. And what did they see in Thyatira? Those eyes beheld goodness and love! Perseverance! Those eyes saw the progress and hard work of that church!
Yes, those eyes saw mistakes as well. Terrible mistakes. As humans, we want to rationalize. To make excuses. But those eyes, the warmth and the depth of them, already knew everything, from beginning to end. Every hair on each head. Every cell of every being.
In the Book of Daniel, we face those eyes again – described in just the same way:
His body was like topaz, his face like lightning, his eyes like flaming torches, his arms and legs like the gleam of burnished bronze, and his voice like the sound of a multitude. Daniel 10:6 NIV
The men with Daniel were petrified. Daniel threw himself face-down to the ground, unable to withstand the gaze of the red-hot fire behind those eyes. He withered like grass. But those fierce eyes delivered a message of hope for Daniel, so he could withstand the dark days ahead.
Then he continued, “Do not be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to them. Daniel 10:12 NIV
Take hope from Thyatira, and from the Book of Daniel. When you feel the shame of the blazing eyes of judgment on you, or if you feel that the eyes of God have gone blind to you and your struggles, remember this revelation: how deeply Jesus knows all parts of you. Your faults, your strengths, and all your worst mistakes. Your hard work to live His way does not go unnoticed. Despite your failures, the trajectory of your spirit continues to move higher. You are seen, and you are known with such completeness. Do not be afraid.
by Carie Grant
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