Open Eyes

With open eyes and hearts attuned to God’s call, we begin to see a world ready for harvest—and an invitation to join His work.

“Do you not say, ‘There are still four months, and then comes the harvest’? Behold, I tell you, raise your eyes and observe the fields, that they are white for harvest.”—John 4:35 NASB

From Delft, his hometown in the Netherlands, artist Johannes Vermeer heard sailors’ and merchants’ stories of new lands and watched as ships sailed to and from the local harbor on the coast of the North Sea.

Around 1668, reflecting this world of exploration, Vermeer completed a painting called The Geographer. A man with compass in hand stares out the window. Light floods the room, symbolizing new possibilities that were changing their worldview.

Open before the geographer is a map. Behind him, a sea chart hangs on the wall, with other charts on the floor. Atop a cabinet sits a globe turned toward the Indian Ocean.

Like many in his time, Vermeer was looking at the world in a new light: fascinated by the prospect of new discoveries … driven to learn, to understand, and to explore. Determined men like these opened new opportunities for others.

Just as Vermeer’s geographer looks out on a world fresh with potential, the world lies open before us today. But to grasp this potential, we need spiritual discernment. We need to open our eyes to a world filled with hurting people—people who are dying without hearing the Gospel.

God has given us incredible technological resources—tools that can touch lives and reach people for Christ. Make sure to do your part, for the fields are “white for harvest.” Dedicate your life and resources to evangelism and furthering God’s Kingdom.

Reflection Question: What might change if you truly saw the world as ready for harvest?