John 17:1 These words spoke Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee. 9 I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine. 10 And all mine are thine, and thine are mine; and I am glorified in them.
The practice of closing your eyes during prayer, is believed by many people to be a necessity, in trying to block out external distractions, so that a person can focus on God, or on what is being said. That’s all well and good if it works for you, but there is no Scriptural evidence that closing your eyes is an act of reverence, nor does the Bible require it of any person. In fact, quite to the contrary, prayer in times past was offered with one’s eyes wide open, never closed.
However, we are not suggesting or asking anyone to change their posture in prayer. Whatsoever works best for you, do, but just remember that there is no Scriptural evidence that it is required. The chapter in 2nd Corinthians 11 also mentions the fact that there are false apostles, and counterfeit ministers of the gospel, so that there’ll be additional investigative work to be done by the seeker for truth when searching for answers to questions that need resolution.
Deciphering truth from error in our day has become a hundred times more challenging, because most of the preachers and televangelists today are known to speak with deep conviction, and yet, what is being presented might not pass the litmus test, when the word of God is applied. In fact, deep conviction isn’t necessarily to be taken as being truth. A preacher or televangelist could get a good strong conviction, and they could also get a strong, bad one.
2nd Corinthians 11:13 For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. 14 And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.
May God add His blessing to the study of His word. “Good night” and God bless!