Look Up

I’m back from vacation, which means that I’m back to reality. When you are on a trip, it’s easy to push all of life’s demands to the back of your mind. You tell yourself that you will think about it when you get home; however, vacations only last for so long and now…. Well, now I’m back.

It was a good vacation; however, I noticed something different this year. For some reason, I kept finding myself looking down. Now looking down while hiking is not a bad thing because it keeps you from tripping over rocks and limbs. I couldn’t even begin to count the number of times that Kenny has called out to me, “Watch your step!” because I have always been too busy looking at the view and not paying attention to where I was going.

But this year, it was different. This year I felt like I had blinders on, and I wasn’t seeing clearly the beauty around me. I have a feeling, though, that this has been going on for longer than just vacation. This past year, I can picture myself trudging through my days with my head down and rarely looking up to see the things that God has provided. The more I think about it, this is probably why I have struggled so much to be joyful.

As I thought about the connection, I remembered something I read in Treasures in the Dark by Katherine Wolf. She reflected on an old camp song she had sung as a kid, which was based on Isaiah 43:

When you pass through the waters, I will be with you

And through rivers, they will not overwhelm you

When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned

The flames shall not consume you

Fear not, for I have redeemed you

I have called you by named. You are mine.

She wrote: “When the world abandons you, God is with you. When the world disappoints you, God makes a way. When the world rejects you, God calls you by name.” She went on to say that it is through life’s trials that we finally begin to understand that we need to expect more of God and less of the world.

Think about it this way: When everything else in this world has passed away, God will still be there, and friends, that is good news. We are not alone, and if you need more than mine and Katherine’s word on it, look back at the passage from Isaiah and hear what the Lord says:

“Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland. The wild animals honor me, the jackals and the owls, because I provide water in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland, to give drink to my people, my chosen, the people I formed for myself that they may proclaim my praise.” (Isaiah 43:18-21)

In the middle of this broken, messed up world, God is still doing incredible things, and we don’t have to look very far to find examples. In fact, in the latest PrayerPoint magazine published by Samaritan’s Purse, I read an article about a couple in Kerr County who woke up to find their house in the path of the rising waters of the Guadalupe River. The husband suffers from Parkinson’s disease, and the wife was not able to get him to safety. The couple was facing death as water began to flood their home, but God was making a way for them. A neighbor came to their rescue and was able to lead them through the high water to his house on a hill.

What a miracle, but God wasn’t done with this couple. In the following days, volunteers with the Samaritan’s Purse Response Team were able to share the Gospel with them and both gave their life to Christ.  As the prophet Isaiah wrote all those thousands of years ago: “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine.” (Isaiah 43:1b)

Talk about beauty instead of ashes (Isaiah 61:3)!  Their story is an incredible glimpse of God’s redemptive plan for mankind. However, I know what you are thinking: Why did God allowed that flood to start with? And now that we are talking about it, why does God allow people to get sick and die, and why do we have to have so many problems? No wonder we are always looking down; this world is hard and difficult.

Friends, I have said it before and I will say it again, there are things we will never understand this side of heaven. There is no denying that as long as we are breathing, we will face problems. As Beth Moore says, you are either coming out of a storm, in the middle of one, or one is just around the corner.

The question is do we expect more of God or of the world?

We know what the world tells us: Just give it the old college try and pull yourself up by your bootstraps. It’s the American way, but how long can you last using just your own strength? You might can tread water for a time; however, you will eventually grow weary, and soon, you will find yourself being swept away by the current of worry. Your cares will drag you under and Satan will do his best to keep you there until you have lost all hope.

What a depressing thought, but we don’t have to live that way. We are God’s chosen people (1 Peter 2:9). We are important to him, and when we face problems, he invites us to turn to him – the only One who can guide us through life’s storms. His strength never runs out (Isaiah 40:31).

God also didn’t create us just to turn us loose and wish us luck. He desires a relationship with us, and he loved us so much he sent his Son to the cross to redeem rebels like you and me. He willingly paid the price for our sins (1 Peter 2:24); therefore, if God loves us this much, it stands to reason that we should expect more of him and less from the world.

And how do we do that?  We look up. We keep our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith (Hebrews 12:2). Friends, we only stumble when we look away to stare at ourselves or the storm. That is Satan’s plan, but we made for more! Therefore, remember that a slave only looks down, but a child – an heir - he looks up into his father’s loving face.

Look, help me to keep looking up at You! 

Amen, and so be it!  Lisa

Discussion Questions

When we are looking down, we have a tendency to miss the things God has planned for us. What opportunities have you missed because you were too busy looking at your own problems?

I have come to see that life’s storms can do one of two things: You will either drown under the weight of trying to do it on your own, or your faith will grow stronger as you learn to depend on God. Has there been a time when you experienced this yourself? What did you learn?

What are practical things you can do each day to keep your eyes on Jesus?