“Turn your eyes upon Jesus”
I am not as young as I once was, and I am starting to notice that things do not quite work as well as they used to. My knees will hurt after a run, and even just a steady jog. My neck or back can hurt for the good part of a day, after just sleeping on them wrong. My son is the one my wife goes to for help at times, because Dad might get hurt doing that. When I think about the future, I wonder if the “golden years” are truly golden. Although, the one thing that bothers me the most is my memory. I will go into a room to do something and forget why I went in there in the first place. I will call my wife to tell her something and be dumbfounded when I cannot recollect what I wanted to tell her. It is a most annoying, and embarrassing trait of growing older that I am told will only get worse with time.
An important aspect of our faith as Christians is remembering. In the Old Testament men, women, and the Israelite nation at times freely made memorials to God for remembrance, and at other times God commanded them to build something or tell the future generations all about an important event that had happened so that it would never be forgotten. I believe we all need a reminder to not forget what God has done, who God is, and what the future holds according to the Bible to navigate what this life holds for each and every one of us.
Many times we make the mistake of highlighting the wrongs done to us, the evils in the world, fears, anxieties, and the great unknown which results in extensive damage done to us as Christians. Our faith will falter, our inspiration and motivation to live out what we believe will be doused with cold water, our thoughts and feelings will be overwhelmed to the point we forget who God is, and we will stop running the race we were called to run. A teacher at seminary once said, “We have a problem that needs to be switched. We gaze at our problems while only glancing at God. We should fix our gaze upon God, and only give a glance to our problems.” This was true in that day, and rings truth even louder currently.
When and if I remember to fix my gaze on God, so many things come flooding in. What stands out most clearly are how faithful He is even when I am unfaithful to Him, how loving He is when I am unloving and fail to share that love with others, how He has always been there for me whether I realized it at the time or did not recognize it until later, and how strong He is compared to how weak I am. I challenge you to start gazing at God, and glancing at your issues. I promise the raging waters will be stilled, that hurts will be healed, perspective will be given, and darkness will turn to light.
If you are hurting, feeling lost, abandoned, defeated, or anything else along those lines I hope that you will at least try to commit to memory verses from God’s Word. They will be like a searchlight that shines out to you that will guide you back home to safety, to peace of mind, and to a place where you can rest in the everlasting arms of your God. Isaiah 41:10 states, “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” Our God is the God who saves, who renews your strength, who causes you to soar on wings like eagles, and who shepherds you through the good and the bad times of life. Remember this, and fight like someone whose life depends on it when the enemy tries to make you forget it or just not even believe it.
Some verses for you, or someone else in your life. Isaiah 49:14-16. John 14:27, Romans 5:8, 1 Peter 2:9, Psalm 34:18, Psalm 23, and Matthew 24:35. May God bless you, keep you, and may His face shine upon you.
Cody Biby
