Hope

Eyes Up

If you think about it, we spend a lot of time with our eyes in a downward position.

– When we’re sleeping

– When we’re praying

– When we’re laughing (for some of us)

– When we’re crying.

A lot of these times, the direction of our eyes signifies the focus of our hearts.

We’re sleeping to get the rest we need.

We’re praying to ask God for what we want.

We’re laughing at something that brings us joy.

We’re crying at something that brings us pain.

Not that these things are bad. After all, God graciously created our bodies so that we would rest. He obviously wants us to pray. At the same time, while doing these things often puts our eyes in a downward position, we are often encouraged in Scripture to lift our eyes up (See Psalm 121:1 for example.). Not to put the focus on the things of the world, but to lift them higher – to see where our Help to deal with the things of this world comes from. When we lift up our eyes to consider God and what He’s doing, our focus is no longer on ourselves. It’s on how He’s working, what He’s accomplishing and how He is using our lives for His glory. We see that we can not make it on our own and we need His help in order to do the things that He has called us to do.

And in another, very real way, lifting our eyes up shows that we anticipate that God will intervene. It’s a sign of expectation for what He will do, even if He has not done it yet. It demonstrates our reliance on His timing, even when it differs from our own.

Lifting our eyes up means our eyes as well as our hearts are focused on Him.

Right where they should be.

 


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Hope

Delayed

When I used to travel a lot for work, one of the worse things was walking into the airport and seeing the word “Delayed” next to my flight number. The experienced traveler knows that even a short delay can cause a myriad of problems, and that the likelihood that a short delay will turn into a long one is high. So you learn how to manage these situations. You figure out who to talk to in order to get accurate information. You start calling the airlines while standing in the line to get booked on another flight, willing to take whatever approach will get you talking to a human being the fastest. You consider what other cities you might be able to fly into and still get to your destination on time. When you see the word “delayed” – you take matters into your own hands in order to get what you want.

Sometimes, I do the same with God. I think that He has been delayed in answering my prayers, providing me help, or rescuing me from a storm. I act as if I don’t know that He will provide just what I need at the time that I need it (Luke 12:22-31). I respond as if He doesn’t desire to give me good things (Matt. 7:11), but as if He wants me to “figure it out” the best that I can. I begin to take matters into my own hands – worrying about the future, planning contingencies, and plotting how I am going to make it where I want to be.

But God is never delayed. He always “arrives” on time.  So if my prayer seems to be unanswered, if help eludes me, and if the storm rages on, it must be because the time has not yet come for that trial to pass. But that doesn’t mean I wallow in despair. Because I know that my God will save me. I know that He does desire to provide me good things, and that He is working for my good (Romans 8:28). From my perspective, He may appeared to be delayed but I know He is not.  I can be joyfully confident in knowing that in His time, He will provide relief. And that His timing is perfect, every time.

 

 

For a wonderfully encouraging song by Kristian Stanfill on this same topic, click here [affiliate link].

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