Lift Your Eyes
By Karen D’Amore
“I lift my eyes to You, to you whose throne is in heaven. As the eyes of slaves look to the hand of their master, as the eyes of a maid look to the hand of her mistress, so our eyes look to the Lord our God…”
Psalm 123: 1-2
Blurry-eyed, I sheepishly relinquished
myself to the dawning of the new day, as the overly engaging sun permeated my
stupor. Hungry for a strong dose of Jesus, I wandered into the garden. Scanning
my horizontal plane…worry, doubt and fear obscured my vision. With my focus
diverted to a nearby wild turkey, I watched as he stood motionless gazing
upward into a tree. Curious as to what he was watching, I too looked upward,
just in time to see a nest of wide-mouth fledglings feverishly receiving
nourishment from their mother. Scripture came to life as I was reminded, “Do
not worry about your life…look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap
or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not
more valuable then they?” (Matthew 6:25a, 26).
Viewing life on a horizontal plane, everything I saw was at eye-level…or more fittingly…“I”-level. At “I”- level I couldn’t see past unpaid bills, joblessness, and other personal needs. At “I”- level, my vision was blurred and strained by the cares of this world. With my eyes taken off of me and lifted upward, I was able to see life from a vertical perspective through the lens of God. Magnifying the promises of His Word, I found comfort in Philippians 4:19, “And my God will meet all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus.”
As Christ-followers, we are called to a relationship of dependency on God. “Your Heavenly Father already knows all your needs, and He will give you all you need from day to day if you live for Him and make the Kingdom of God your primary concern” (Matthew 6: 32b, 33 NLT). Is “I”-strain impairing your vision? Lift your eyes to your Provider; you’ll be amazed at how clearly you see…from a perspective that’s Heavenly!
GOING DEEPER:
1. What grimy circumstances are smudging your lens? How can you change the direction of your focus to see clearer?
2. Look to Scripture for a godly perspective on your circumstances.
FURTHER READING:
Psalm 141:8; Psalm 121:1-3; Psalm 3:3
Viewing life on a horizontal plane, everything I saw was at eye-level…or more fittingly…“I”-level. At “I”- level I couldn’t see past unpaid bills, joblessness, and other personal needs. At “I”- level, my vision was blurred and strained by the cares of this world. With my eyes taken off of me and lifted upward, I was able to see life from a vertical perspective through the lens of God. Magnifying the promises of His Word, I found comfort in Philippians 4:19, “And my God will meet all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus.”
As Christ-followers, we are called to a relationship of dependency on God. “Your Heavenly Father already knows all your needs, and He will give you all you need from day to day if you live for Him and make the Kingdom of God your primary concern” (Matthew 6: 32b, 33 NLT). Is “I”-strain impairing your vision? Lift your eyes to your Provider; you’ll be amazed at how clearly you see…from a perspective that’s Heavenly!
GOING DEEPER:
1. What grimy circumstances are smudging your lens? How can you change the direction of your focus to see clearer?
2. Look to Scripture for a godly perspective on your circumstances.
FURTHER READING:
Psalm 141:8; Psalm 121:1-3; Psalm 3:3
Married
to Dan, Karen, a retired police officer, currently works as a Manicurist at
Craig Berns Salon. She’s a leader for
Oakwood’s Tuesday a.m. Bible Study and a volunteer at the Wildlife In Need
Center.
