A Prayer for the Opening of Worship
Gracious God, Master of the Universe, you who are holy beyond human thinking and glorious beyond human telling, lift us now toward your holiness and point us now toward your glory. Open the eyes of our hearts, Lord; we want to see you shining in the splendor of your light, through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

A Prayer of Confession
Wonderful God, radiant in your splendor, we confess how often we avert our eyes from your glory, seeing instead what we want to see and watching whom we want to watch. We choose to watch what is shameful, or vengeful, or disdainful, gradually becoming more like what we watch. Before it is too late for us, open the eyes of our hearts, Lord, so that we may gaze on your holiness and be healed, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

A Prayer for Illumination
We turn now to your Word, gracious God, praying that you will illuminate it through the radiance of your Holy Spirit, that, drawn to the light, we may spot a part of your glory. Open the eyes of our hearts, Lord; we want to see you, through your perfect image, Jesus Christ. Amen.

A Prayer for the Close of Worship
Eternal God, shining in glory like a thousand suns, you have shone on us in this time of worship, lighting up your work and Word; lighting up the faces of our brothers and sisters, drawing us toward the splendor of your presence, which is else too high for us. You have opened the eyes of our hearts, Lord, to see your glory. We pray in the powerful name of Jesus, the light of the world. Amen.

• Sing this song through as written, doing the final repeat of the last section softer and slightly slower. Add 4 beats at the end by playing 4 quarter note D’s in the bass, and go directly into #538, “Holy, Holy, Holy! Lord God Almighty.”

More than many of Paul Baloche’s couple hundred songs, this one has touched the lives of people in a special way. Baloche notes that he has received so many email from pastors and churches who say they’re using this song, and the message of the song, as the theme of the year or the theme of a conference. The words were inspired in part by Ephesians 1:18, which says, “I pray that the eyes of your heart would be enlightened.” Baloche also reflected on his many teaching experiences when writing, noting that we often focus primarily on the outward expression of worship. He says, “…you can teach externals, but unless something is happening from the inside out, it’s just really a form. It’s like a cloud without rain.” While leading worship one day, he started singing, “Open the eyes of my heart, Lord, open the eyes of my heart,” over and over again. He says, “The whole song pretty much rolled off my tongue while prayerfully playing my guitar and singing out to Him.”

[http://www.leadworship.com/pauls-blog/story-behind-open-the-eyes-of-my-heart/

Paul Baloche (b. June 4, 1962, Maple Shade Township, New Jersey) is one of the best-known modern worship artists and leaders of this day and age. He has written hundreds of songs, many of which have been covered by artists such as Michael W. Smith, Randy Travis, and SonicFlood. He has produced and co-produced albums, such as “God of Wonders” with Marc Byrd and Steve Hindalong. He’s won numerous Dove Awards, including the Inspirational Recorded Song of the Year Award in 2009 for “A New Hallelujah,” which he co-authored with Michael W. Smith and his wife, Debbie Smith. His music has appeared on a number of albums, including the platinum selling WoW worship series. On top of that, he’s written and produced twelve solo albums, and for almost three decades has been the worship pastor at Community Christian Fellowship in Lindale, Texas, where he lives with his singer-songwriter wife, Rita, and their three children.

[http://www.sing365.com/music/lyric.nsf/Paul-Baloche-Biography/93256B02379945CF48257A67004B587C