The two
main characters of this story were separated by 20 centuries, but they had the
same name, and the same faith. And, both started out being distant from the one
they eventually worshipped, until a life-changing experience upended the lives
of these men named Paul. Paul Baloche would spend the better part of the next
two decades after his conversion in front of a group of people on Sundays,
perhaps most often strumming on a guitar to set a mood in a church in Smith
County, Texas (see the map here). He might have suspected that something would
emerge from these times, and it was words from his ancient biblical namesake
that helped spur the key moment that gave rise to “Open the Eyes of My Heart”.
This bit of spontaneity might have seemed more or less random to Baloche, but
is that really true when connecting with a spiritual force the way he was one
day in 1997?
The two Pauls’
lives were not exactly mirror images, and yet their intersection in a way that
spawned something musical is a phenomenon that suggests someone – perhaps a
Providential being – is behind the scenes directing events. Paul Baloche might
have still been playing rock music in clubs, where he started his musical
journey in the 1970s, except for a Sunday morning experience at a personal
business conference he attended, where speaker after speaker told the audience that
Jesus was the difference-maker. This was earth-shaking for Paul, a guy who
sensed something was missing and who’d just seen the light bulb come on. It was
another Paul, almost two millennia before and halfway around the world, who also
had had a pivotal moment that changed his life when a light of another kind turned
on for him. This first-century Paul would pray some years later to a group of
believers in a place named Ephesus, petitioning God that they might have an
enlightenment in their hearts, as if hearts could see with newly-opened eyes (Eph.
1:18). Twentieth Century Paul heard and repeated that prayer one Sunday in a
Texas church as he entreated the Spirit-God on behalf of a roomful of people,
and thought also about what the ancient prophet Isaiah recorded when he saw
angels worshiping this same Being (Isaiah 6). And as was his habit, this Paul
had his words recorded in case something special transpired, so he could re-live
that moment; did he suspect God would actually be present? Indeed, as a songwriter,
Baloche offers that he wants his worship song creations to emerge from an
actual incident with God in prayer or worship; it feels more sincere he says,
than something that comes about via a recording studio or dedicated songwriting
venue. Capture a special moment in a bottle, that’s what Paul Baloche indicates
he was trying to do. When the One being worshipped is there, it’s always a moment
worth apprehending, right?
The spot on
the map doesn’t really matter that much when it comes to songwriting, as Paul
Baloche might tell you. And, does the color of the eye looking for Him make a
difference? Eyes might even be open, yet see other things that are distracting.
Both Pauls in this story had eyes early on in their lives that were examining events
and people, but were not really seeing. Both Pauls’ stories hint that sometimes
I might believe I’m seeing clearly, but God-seeing vision just might require a nudge
from outside of myself. Perhaps Paul Baloche would say that he needed to
realize something was missing first, and then be open to suggestion. Does your
world have a haziness, a smog that makes clear vision impossible? A guy named
Paul has some 20/20 glasses he thinks you should try.
A source for the song story is the book “Celebrate Jesus:
The Stories behind Your Favorite Praise and Worship Songs”, by Phil Christensen
and Shari MacDonald, Kregel Publications, 2003. See also the book “I Could Sing
of Your Love Forever”, by Lindsay Terry, Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2008.
See also here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_the_Eyes_of_My_Heart
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