Beautiful Views
“The Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes.”- Psalm 118:23
Two summer events have provided personal reminders of how the RIGHT VIEW is so important for us to have. The first was attending an Angels baseball game. It had been twenty years since I have been to Anaheim Stadium, and I couldn’t have been more impressed. One of the reasons to my high approval rating was the value of the tickets. We paid little for amazing seats right off third base. The sights and sounds that come with being so close to the action made for a most enjoyable experience. Then earlier this month, Joanie and I went down to San Diego to celebrate our 25th Anniversary. We were staying at a hotel for the first time, so we were unsure if it would live up to the online or our expectations. The hotel was great, a definite homerun! One amazing feature was the room’s balcony, which was perfectly located facing a picturesque courtyard. If our room had been across the hall the view would have been of a rather dingy downtown street.
Just as both events came with amazing views, there is a need for us to refocus how we see things. The tendency is to concentrate and be consumed by the needs, limitations, and problems surrounding us. It is our DEFINITIONS, not the needs themselves which create the anxiety, despair, doubt, and hopelessness. In the midst of the BIG THINGS OF LIFE we need to see the BEAUTY OF JESUS! Hebrews 2:8-9 speaks to this, “In putting everything under them, God left nothing that is not subject to them. Yet at present we do not see everything subject to them. But we do see Jesus…” This is the epitome of faith itself! The issue may be unresolved, and the answer may be delayed, but we are to look to and trust in Jesus to bring about blessing and breakthrough, provision and protection, visibility (wisdom) and victory!
By refocusing our attention to God, we encounter a beautiful place of remembering His goodness, rejoicing in His presence, and receiving His blessings. In Psalm 119:18 the writer worshipfully declares, “Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in Your law.” Your troubles may seem too close for comfort, but you can call on the God who is near to us! Your pressing issues may be too many to juggle, but God’s promises are innumerable, more than the sand on the seashores! Your life may feel like navigating through a dark, foggy season, but there is a light that makes the pathway firm and favorable!
From your current location know that Jesus has life for you! In Luke 21:28 our Savior says, “When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near.” He wants you to believe for it, pray for it, and look for it.