Where Are You Looking?
Two things in my study of the Word this week came together on one day and caught my attention.
I was reading Proverbs in my daily Bible plan and came across Proverbs 4:25-27 which says: Let your eyes look forward; fix your gaze straight ahead. Carefully consider the path for your feet, and all your ways will be established. Don’t turn to the right or to the left; keep your feet away from evil.
I began to consider what that looks like? I believe it means, no matter what life situation I find myself facing, I must not allow the situation to pull my eyes and heart from the path God has called me to walk…even when it includes difficulty, pain and unanswered questions.
Unfortunately, it’s SO easy to focus on the storm rather than on Jesus, isn’t it. Peter experienced that for sure! (See Matthew 14:22-33)
The other thing I studied that day last week was the end of the LifeWay study by Whitney Capps, We Over Me. (I mentioned this book in an earlier post, Yet, Hope.)
As the study was coming to an end, we recapped the message to each of the 7 churches in Revelation. For the 7 churches there was commendation and condemnation. Two churches received commendation without condemnation. One church received condemnation without commendation. As we looked at the things Jesus said each church did well and where they fell short we saw the different promises Jesus gave to all 7. The author asked the question, “Which promises were meant to be enjoyed in that moment?”
The answer is, NONE! I’d never thought about that before. What about the answers I need NOW? TODAY? IMMEDIATELY? Why would Jesus promise something to these churches that wouldn’t be experiencing right then?
The answer is HOPE. Hope for the current situation. Hope for eternal blessings. Hope for the hopeless in hopeless situations.
Whitney spoke of this “right now answer” we seek when she said, “For many of us, our prayer lives are filled with requests about situations that will impact our todays. We want God’s promises to hit us where we are living now. I suspect that could have been true for these early churches as well.”
Though we do not always get quick answers and resolutions to problems we face, we get something even better. But like Jesus encouraged the churches facing persecution, false teaching, earthquakes and hard times, we must keep our eyes on Him. That’s the difference knowing Christ makes. Without that, hopeless situations are just, well…hopeless!
Jesus was encouraing the churches who were suffering “to overcome, stay the course, and shine brightly.” (Whitney Capps) It is not easy. It takes self-discipline. But we must keep our eyes ahead…to His calling and His eternal blessings…while being fully present in this day. Future focused, present living.
Jesus alone makes that possible. What are you facing today for which you are desperately praying for an answer or resolution? Ask Him to show you how to keep your eyes on Him, “the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews 12:2)
What are you looking for? An immediate answer, or a “forever” heart? It’s all about FOREVER!
Banner photo by Pawel Janiak on Unsplash
