The View Through the Keyhole

Hearing an unexpected prayer intention, Jake Frost opens his heart to surprising possibilities. 

There’s a famous view of St. Peter’s dome that can only be seen if things are aligned just right. 

It’s known as the “Aventine Keyhole."  

What surprising is that on approaching this storied view, all you see is a wall. 

In the wall is a closed door. 

Beyond the closed door is a hedge. 

And yet, if you look in the right place, you can peer past the wall and through the hedge to an amazing view of St. Peter’s beyond. The keyhole in the door in the wall aligns with a gap in the hedge, so that peering through the keyhole, wall and hedge are no longer obstacles, but the frame that creates the view.  

Praying to See What God is Giving Us Now 

I recently heard a prayer intention that struck me: it was to see the opportunities God is placing before us now. 

So much of our prayer is for things we want — and want right now.  

There’s nothing wrong with that. In fact, it’s good to bring our needs and desires to God. But it’s not good to let our own desires becomes obstacles blocking our view from what God may be putting before us. 

Raising small children is a time intensive undertaking. My own kids currently range in age from one to 16. Younger kids want lots of time with Mom and Dad. For the very littles, that means walks, swings, molding play-doh, reading stories, and snuggles.  

Moving up the age ladder, the next group loves kickball in the backyard, basketball in the driveway, conversations and questions sparked by a broadening view of the world, and in the middle-school years there’s also lots of driving to all sorts of activities. 

Meanwhile, Mom and Dad have their own interests clamoring for a share of the limited supply of hours and energy: work, personal goals, hobbies, and aspirations. And sleep! 

But then there’s the older kids. They remind my wife and me that the window of opportunity in the family life cycle when kids want, and even seek, time with us old folks — and even listen to what we tell them! — is finite.  

This period presents an opportunity that will be gone before we know it.  

Shifting Perspectives 

It can be frustrating when the opportunities being presented in our lives aren’t the ones we’re seeking.  

It can feel like we’re looking at walls and hedges.  

But that might be because we’re viewing them from the wrong vantage point.  

In fact, God might be using those walls and hedges to direct our attention to something, maybe something we don’t even know to look for.  

If we can align our vision more closely with where God’s trying to direct us, we might discover unexpected possibilities hidden in those supposed obstacles.  

So I’m trying out the new prayer intention I heard, hoping for some help in discovering those surprising keyholes!   

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Copyright 2025 Jake Frost
Images: Canva