“Lift Up Your Eyes”: A Deeper Look at a Biblical Theme

Throughout the Bible, there are numerous moments when individuals are told — or choose — to lift up their eyes. At first glance, it might seem like a simple physical action, but for those familiar with the metaphysical teachings of Neville Goddard, this phrase holds a much deeper significance.

In Genesis 13:14, God says to Abram, “Lift up now thine eyes, and look from the place where thou art…” — a seemingly ordinary instruction, yet charged with spiritual depth. Neville would argue that this isn't just about Abram scanning the landscape. Instead, it is an invitation to look beyond the physical, to lift one’s inner gaze — that is, one’s imagination — and see a higher possibility.

Neville taught that our imagination is God, and that what we focus on inwardly shapes the world we experience outwardly. To him, lifting your eyes was symbolic of elevating your state of consciousness — shifting your awareness from lack to abundance, from fear to faith, from limitation to fulfilment. For example, when Abram looked out over the land, God was not simply showing him physical territory, but inviting him to see new possibilities. He was called to see the land as already his, even though it was not yet in his possession.

Take Psalm 121:1 for example: “I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help.” This verse, in Neville’s view, is not about physically looking at a distant mountain for rescue, but about turning one’s attention upward — not to the sky, but to a higher state within. The “help” comes not from outside, but from the awakened God within. When we lift our eyes in our imagination, we access divine resources, ideas, and solutions that are already available to us, but only when we consciously turn to them.

Similarly, in John 11:41, we find Jesus lifting his eyes to heaven before performing a miracle: “Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead was laid. And Jesus lifted up his eyes, and said, Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me.” Neville would interpret this act as a deep alignment with the divine within. Jesus was not looking at the literal sky, but was turning his focus inward to the consciousness of unity with God. By lifting his eyes, he was affirming that the power to perform miracles lay in his awareness of the divine truth, not in any external force.

The same concept is present in Luke 6:20, where Jesus “lifted up his eyes” to his disciples and declared them blessed. Here, Neville might say, Jesus is seeing them not as they are in the physical world, but as they could be — as whole, blessed, and free. This aligns with Neville’s principle that we must see ourselves or others in the state of the wish fulfilled before it can manifest.

Even the publican in Luke 18:13 shows a different kind of “looking up” when he says, “The publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast…” His refusal to lift his eyes suggests a state of self-awareness or humility. He’s aware of his own limitations but is simultaneously acknowledging that his help must come from a higher, divine source. Neville might see this as a symbolic representation of surrendering one’s ego and opening up to the divine within.

Another powerful example is Genesis 22:13, when Abraham is about to sacrifice his son Isaac, and suddenly sees a ram caught in the thicket: “And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his horns…” This verse highlights how, by lifting his eyes, Abraham was able to perceive the provision that was already available to him — a symbol of the divine solution to every challenge. Neville would interpret this as a reminder that by shifting your focus and elevating your state of awareness, you can see opportunities and solutions that were once hidden from you.

So, the next time you come across this biblical phrase, pause and consider: what if lifting your eyes is less about looking up and more about waking up? What if it's an invitation to shift your inner vision and dare to see the world not as it is, but as it could be?

After all, as Neville reminds us, “Change your conception of yourself and you will automatically change the world in which you live.” Just as Abraham was able to see the promised land before it was his, just as Jesus performed miracles by aligning with divine consciousness, and just as the publican humbled himself to receive divine grace, we too can elevate our own awareness — and in doing so, change our world.