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It may be baffling to the rest of the world, but when you are a child of God, and your eyes are fixed upon Him, you can know and find your rest in the truth that God is still on the throne, and any pervasive attack of the evil one, that seems to be beyond a solution, is never beyond His control. And, He is always with you, to help you. You are never alone. The presence of the sovereign Lord, is with you always, and forever. The psalmist David’s prayer therefore, is an apt supplication that you and I too can find to be of great help, especially in these uncertain times, to offer unto God, knowing that He will certainly answer, to lead and guide us in these times of uncertainty ,Teach me to do Your will, for You are my God; May your good spirit lead me on level ground. [Psalm 143:10]
And it involves walking in your calling that is from God; one for which you have been chosen even in your mother’s womb. He also equips you to walk in it, by the anointing of His Spirit upon you, as you respond willingly and yield to His will and call upon your life.
Moses – an illustration that instructs you:
And a valuable example to study and emulate, would be the life of Moses, in the Old Testament, for it would put an end to all your doubts concerning walking in your calling from God, that may seem from a human and worldly point of view, quite beyond what you are capable of accomplishing in your own strength. For, Moses began not as a great leader, but ended his life as one, and all because he experienced and walked in the adequacy and power of God, letting go of all his diffidence and inhibitions, that plagued him initially, to leave him trembling and afraid, of what God was calling to be and do.
It was no small task, certainly, and it could very well be the same position in which you find yourself today. You could be standing overwhelmed, not knowing at all how you will go on to fulfill what the Lord is calling you to do. But for every reason that Moses offered, in all honesty, filled as he was with doubts, and insecurity, God answered with a promise, to give him assurance as nothing else can. [Exodus chapters 3&4] For Moses, after his long sojourn in the desert, was aware that his communication skills may be sadly lacking, when it came to standing before the powerful Pharaoh, demanding the release of God’s people. But, God who described Himself to Moses, as ‘I AM WHO I AM’, promised His very own presence, that He Himself would be his voice, giving him the words to speak.
Special – for God was with them:
‘Go therefore, and I will be with you’ [Exodus 4:11] was the essence of it all. And the relationship that began then, between Moses and God, the Great I AM, to subsequently steadily grow in intimacy and power, was what reflected in the life of Moses, to make him ultimately the great leader that he had been chosen and called by God to be. Moses knew then that it was not about his personal insufficiency and lack, but about the overwhelming sufficiency of the God who was with him and His people always, that was the key to prospering in his life and in the mission of his calling. He knew that he and God’s people were special, and all because of the God who was with them.
‘What else would distinguish and set us apart, showing your blessing and favor upon us, but the fact that Your ever abiding presence is with us?’, was how Moses was able to gratefully give thanks unto the Lord, who had delivered them out of the bondage of Egypt, as he neared the end of his life on earth. [Exodus 33:16]
HE is with you to help you:
And today, when you are a child of God in the glory of the new covenant, He is certainly with you, and the Spirit of God dwells in you, making your very body a temple of the Holy Spirit. It is the treasure in you, in frail human flesh, displaying the truth of the adequacy and power that is from God, and Him alone, that one may boast only in the Lord. There is also a purpose connected to His presence with you. He is there to help you. He is your ever present Helper, who leads and guides you in the path of His good and perfect will, that you may walk in your calling, fulfilling it to be blessed and also be a channel of His blessing.
As Paul goes on to enumerate with confident assurance, in his epistle to the Romans, if God is for you, what can stand against you? It is He who has called you, to justify you and glorify you. You will experience the goodness of God to know that He causes all things to work together for your good, because you love Him, and have been called according to His purpose. For, He who did not spare His own Son, will certainly, together with Christ, give you all that you need in life. You will indeed, in and through Christ, overwhelmingly conquer all that comes against you, for He loves you, and nothing can separate you from His love. [Romans 8: 28-39]
Thus, as a child of God:
God is for you. God is with you, and, Christ is in you. It is your hope of glory. And therefore, even though this may be a time of great gloom all around, it is His presence with You, and in you, that makes all the difference, one that will see you navigate safely through the turbulent waters, that people all over the world find themselves in at present. As a child of God, you are special and of great value in the eyes of your Heavenly Father. It is why as the Lord has spoken, you are commanded not to worry, but seek the kingdom of God, for all that you need in life, that the people of the world seek after, will be added unto you, by your Heavenly Father. [Matthew 6:31-33] He is your ever present help in times of trouble. He is with you, every step of the way. Have no fear therefore, but simply find your rest in His everlasting love for you, that will remain so forever. You have a true and faithful God who is your Father.
How does God help you?
I will instruct you and teach you in the way that you should go; I will guide you with My eye. [Psalm 32:8] It is the familiar yet unchanging promise from Him, that is yours in order to be led by Him in paths of righteousness, no matter what your environment and circumstance may be. His eye is upon you to guide you. He keeps His eye on you.
And, how can it reflect in your life?
It is His favor and grace that comes upon your life from Him, even as Noah found favor in the eyes of God. [Genesis 6:8] For, he was led and guided by God to build an ark, that would be a safe refuge in a time of massive disaster, that came upon the people of the world who refused to heed His word to them. And, even today, you and I are saved by God’s amazing grace, His favor upon us, and through faith in Christ, in Christ alone. In a time of calamity, you can enjoy the protection of God, therefore, for you have found favor in the eyes of the Lord; or rather, His favor has found you.
It is the reason why the psalmist has expressed his wonder and awe, at the grace of God that has been showered upon man, an object of His creation, who in comparison to His greatness is nothing at all, saying, What is man, that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him? [Psalm 8:4] Thus, God’s eye upon you, shows His love for you, while on the other hand, your eye upon Him, displays your faith and trust in Him. And, when there is a mutual connection, something wonderful happens, even as the prophet has explained in God’s word.
HE will show Himself strong:
For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose hearts are loyal to Him. [2 Chronicles 16:9] God’s eyes are seeking for people whose hearts are loyal and faithful, and fully committed to Him. And when you are such a person He is there to strongly support you, by acting on your behalf. And therefore, even if you are weak, you are strong, for He is strong on your behalf. It all hinges though, on where your focus and attention lies, even in the midst of a situation that could be demanding so much of your time and concentration, much like what is happening right now, all over the world.
Fixing your eyes upon Jesus – the Eternal Word:
For, it is by fixing your eyes upon Jesus, the author and perfecter of your faith, that you can lay aside the things that may be trying to distract your attention, the sin that can so easily weigh you down, to run the race allotted to you, God’s specific calling, and His will for your life. [Hebrews 12:1] And in today’s context, when the world is engulfed in a plague that only seems to be getting bigger, it is of course very easy to worry about it. And it is then that worry being a sin, for it goes against the command of God, is the revelation truth of God’s word, that can set you free, for you to be able to cast your cares on the God who cares for you.
1. Focusing on the word of God:
And focusing upon Jesus, fixing your eyes upon Him, is to look upon, and focus upon God’s word. For, as it is written in the word of God, In the beginning was the Word; the Word was with God, and the Word was God. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory. [John 1:1,14] It is how the apostle John describes Lord Jesus, the Word who became flesh, to be born into this world and save us from our sins. You are cleansed from the shame of sin, when you receive, Jesus, the Living Word, into your heart, as your Lord and Savior. Lord Jesus is the Eternal Word.
And it is why, the psalmist has this to say about what happens in you when you fix your eyes upon the Lord who is the Living and Eternal Word, Then I would not be ashamed, when I look upon all Your commandments. [Psalm 119:6] Fixing your eyes upon Jesus is remaining focused upon the word of God. It is also about meditating upon His word.
2. Meditating upon the word of God:
I will meditate on your precepts, And contemplate Your ways. [Psalm 119:15] Meditating upon God’s word, day and night, to be like a tree planted by the waters, is focusing on it, or in essence, fixing your eyes on Jesus, the author and finisher of your faith, your faith that comes to you by hearing the word of God. And it increases in you, is built up in you, as through the word of God, you are led to contemplate His ways; the wondrous and varied ways in which He has worked to meet the needs of the people, whatever be the nature and size of it. Whether it was big or small, or help that was needed by the one who was weak or strong, satisfying it was an easy thing in the sight of the Lord.
And, He remains the same even today in the midst of a pandemic that seems to be increasing and not subsiding, leaving the world aghast. He has dealt with plagues and pestilences in the past, and can and will do so even now, is the truth that will then be your assurance and rest as you fix your eyes upon Jesus. For, as you meditate on His word, and the ways of God, that are immeasurably higher than yours and mine, you will grow in your faith to know and experience God as the prophet Samuel has described His nature to be; that He is Ebenezer, the God who has helped you, and brought you thus far, meeting your need in every realm of your life. He is the God who has promised to continue to carry you even in your old age, just as He carried you in your mother’s womb; and that He is the God who just as He has made you, has promised to bear you, carry you and rescue you. [Isaiah 46:3,4] Thus contemplating on His wondrous ways will lead you to know that He is the God of your past, present and future, and you have nothing to fear, when your eyes are fixed on the Lord and His word.
When you are alone – HE is there with you:
His ways were varied, but God always dealt with a person’s insufficiency or lack, to be the God of provision, just as He remains today, even in these times, when so called ‘social distancing’, or maintaining a sense of isolation, has under these unforeseen circumstances, become the need of the hour. But in meditating upon the word of God, to regard His ways, one can see how God met the need of the prophet Elijah, who in obedience to His command was all by himself by the brook of Cherith, hiding for his life, through ravens who were the instruments of his food supply. [1 kings 17:1-6] And later on, when in self pity and fear, he was under the broom tree, in self imposed isolation, God once again had His own way of sustaining him, instead of condemning him. In fact it was the presence of the Angel of the Lord, which in the Old Testament, was the pre – incarnate Christ Himself, who appeared to minister to him in his physical and emotional need, to encourage him, saying that he had a long way to go still, and things to accomplish in accordance with God’s will for him. [1 kings 19:1-18]
And thus, even if you find yourself without the help of another human being, the presence of God, in a relationship through His word, will provide all that you need to abundantly satisfy you. Moreover, there will be a purpose attached to the provision from Him, without which it could all only lead to a sense of meaningless emptiness, that the writer of the book of Ecclesiastes describes as ‘vanity’. But, the God of Elijah is your God too; and therefore, it need never be your story!
Contemplating His wonders of old:
It is how the psalmist who was initially discouraged and confused at life’s turn of events, at the prospering of the evil and the wicked, found rest and a right perspective, in the house of God, in His presence. [Psalm 77:7-20] Light dawned in him, as he turned his eyes to be upon God, to meditate and keep considering His wonders of old, His miraculous ways that brought deliverance to His people, to realize that there is no God as great as our God, and that He would deal rightly with His people. And the truth above that is unchanging, will come to you as you meditate upon God’s word, keeping your eye upon it. It will bring comfort in your heart, even this day, when it seems as if the whole earth is being shaken, from one corner of the globe to the other.
All you need to do therefore, is to take your mind off the restrictive atmosphere that may be necessary at present, but is certainly not pleasant in any way, to meditate and focus on God’s word which is the truth that sets you free. And through the revelation of God that comes to you by His Spirit, you will be filled with His matchless resurrection power in you, by which you can soar and not be weighed down in your spirit, to run and not be weary, to walk and not be faint. It is why the psalmist prays for his eyes to be opened.
Eyes opened – to see:
Open my eyes that I may see, wondrous things from your Law. [Psalm 119:18] The prayer of the psalmist that has a wondrous reason behind it. For, the illustrations from the lives of people in God’s word, are instructions that come to you from the Old Testament, displaying the nature of the unchanging God, who remains the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. And as you meditate upon His word, light will begin to dawn and shine within you in your spirit. It is also very true that if you can see the wonders of God in the word, you can also experience the same wonders in your life. Though a stranger on earth, you are special in His sight.
Being a stranger on earth:
I am a stranger on earth; do not hide your commandments from me. [Psalm 119:19] These are strange times that you and I are going through now; times that call forth a paradigm shift within us to know as the psalmist has prayed, that as children of God, we are pilgrims on earth, in our walk towards our citizenship that is in heaven above. Therefore, knowing and being led by God and His word becomes truly mandatory in order to navigate in a world that is growing increasingly unfamiliar and strange to you and I. But it is also very true that you have a God who is always helpful in your circumstance, no matter how deadly and dangerous it may appear to be. And He says to you today, when you definitely need His help, in order to know how to approach the present situation that is going viral in a physical sense, and navigate through it safely , I will instruct you and teach you in the way that you should go; I will guide you with My eye. [Psalm 32:8]
He is also, not a God who remains hidden, for when you call unto Him, He will answer you. It is His everlasting promise to you. [Jeremiah 33:3] He will help you to understand your situation, in order to know what to do in the midst of it. All you need to do is to fix your eyes upon Him, the Lord, the giver of Life and His ever living word. For your God will instruct you.
His God teaches him:
For He instructs him in right judgements; His God teaches him. [Isaiah 28:26] As clearly seen above, He needs to be ‘your’ God. The emphasis is on a personal relationship with Him, in order to receive guidance from Him. For, there are also the people of the world who are proud, and depend on their own instincts and intelligence to march through life’s ups and downs, that invariably come in every person’s path. And the prophet Isaiah in the beginning of the above chapter, describes such people, and also what their lot would be at times, for they have edged God out of their lives, only to make a covenant or agreement with death and destruction, that comes from the evil one, to believe in his lies and falsehood. [Isaiah 28:1 -22]
Their resources would fail them is what the prophet describes very graphically, to say that they would find their bed to be too short, and their bed covering to be too narrow to cover themselves. [vs 20] A state of restlessness and insufficiency is what can end up being their fate in a time of calamity and distress.
But, even in such a time there is hope to the one whose eyes are fixed upon the Lord, in a personal relationship with Him through the word, and the Spirit, is the overwhelming thrust of the passage. [vs 26] For to such a person, God’s guidance and specific counsel to tackle a specific situation comes as He guides him with His eye. And the nuances of it is described in terms of sowing and reaping, establishing the need for different approaches that need to be employed to handle situations that could be very different from each other. [vs 23-28] The concluding verse sums up the truth of where the answer lies, and the need to fix your eyes upon the Lord, and hear His voice through the written word, to say, This also comes from the Lord; Who is wonderful in counsel, and excellent in guidance. [vs 29]
Thus, just as to the pilot, the approach is vitally important in order to make a smooth and safe touch down, or landing, to you and I hearing God’s voice in faith is crucial, in order to know how to approach and navigate through a particular situation or crisis. And, this is such a time!
It is time to seek the Lord:
The prophet Hosea drives home the message, once again in terms of sowing and reaping, Sow for yourselves righteousness, Reap in mercy; Break up your fallow ground, For it is time to seek the Lord, Till He comes and rains righteousness on you. [Hosea 10:12]
Breaking up fallow ground:
It is preparing your heart, to receive God’s word that needs to come to you in this season, knowing how to approach the peculiar crisis that has come upon the world, and the true Light that needs to shine in people’s hearts. It involves as the psalmist has said, an uprooting of what is not pleasing in the sight of God, as He reveals it to you, to be led in the everlasting way. [Psalms 139:23]
Seeking the Lord:
It is a prioritizing of where your attention lies; it is in being seated at the feet of the Lord, even as Mary did, to fix your eyes upon His word, instead of being distracted by all that is going on around you. For as you hear and apply His word to you, all other things that you need, even in this extraordinary situation, will certainly be added unto you. Let the word of God therefore, find its’ rightful place in your life. And, as you seek Him, as your eyes are fixed on Him, you are sowing with a view to righteousness, and to reap kindness.
Fix your eyes on Christ therefore, the author and perfecter of your faith, who has accomplished it all on the Cross of Calvary to say ‘It is finished’, that you may appropriate and apply the finished work of the Cross in your life’ Give thanks unto the Lord Almighty, whose eye is upon you even this day to guide you, glorying in His everlasting love for you, and His grace that will surely take you from where you are, to where you need to be in these tough and challenging times.
May the Lord minister into your heart and mine, as only He can, even as we offer our lives into His hands, surrendering to His will, so that He may keep His eye on us to guide us, teaching and counseling us, by having His way in us, to lead us in the days ahead victoriously, for the glory and honor of His Name.
In the Name of Christ Jesus Amen.
