Vision

“I have set the Lord always before me;
because He is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken.
Therefore, my heart is glad,
and my whole being rejoices;
my flesh also dwells secure.
For You will not abandon my soul to Sheol,
or let Your holy one see corruption.
You make known to me the path of life;
in Your presence there is fullness of joy;
at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.”

 – Psalm 16:8-11

I came across the above photograph a while ago and I was quite amused by the stances of the two characters that were captured. The younger one is focused on the waves which seem to be fast approaching her as she clings on to her father. The man, however, is clearly not phased by the water as he confidently poses for the photographer whilst holding his daughter. Now obviously, from our point of view, we can see that the waves aren’t at all threatening but believe me when I say, she truly thought they were terrifying. How do I know? Because I am she.

Perhaps, if 4-year-old me would’ve concentrated on the one standing beside her rather than being wrapped up in the waters beneath her, she might have enjoyed the moment instead of cowering in fear. Perhaps, if I had trusted in the firm grip of my father and his strength, I would have been able to smile, maybe even laugh, with confidence that the sea would not be able to harm me.

Perhaps, this picture has aptly captured the condition of my spiritual vision.

Let’s say that the ocean (in the picture) represents the cares / concerns / challenges / distractions / doubts / desires / people / pleasures / possessions that exist in our lives. We stand in the midst of it, it’s all around us. We could be facing the waves of financial strains, debilitating addictions, loneliness, health struggles, uncertainty, temptation, inconstancy, insecurity, yearning and a myriad of disruptions. I’m aware that the things I’ve listed all seem to have some sort of negative connotation or effect attached to it, but I suppose what I mean is, our ‘ocean’ is anything / anyone (apart from God) that holds our focus and attention. For some of us, these ‘waves’ seem to only be lapping gently around our ankles in varied intervals, for others it may be waist deep and for some, we might be barely staying afloat.

While recognising and being aware of these matters is good and wise, I’ve found that fixating on them can often rob me of joy, peace and productivity – all in regard to eternal measures. Fixing our eyes on our ocean might cause us to forget or doubt the One Who is able to command it.

The confident and bold assertion made by King David in the Bible passage above struck me. How is it that he is able to say with such surety that God will ‘not abandon (his) soul to Sheol’. How is David so convinced that he will not be shaken? Because the Lord is at his right hand – He’s near. How does he know this? Because David has ‘set the Lord always‘ at the forefront of his vision.

Honing our attention on God allows us to discover more of Who He is, strengthens our understanding of His heart and character which simultaneously deepens our trust in Him, causing us to act in ready obedience and love.

In Hebrews 12:1-2, Paul encourages us to ‘…lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely’ and to ‘run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the Founder and Perfecter of our faith, Who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross..’.  

You know, Jesus Himself modelled the human need for continual focus on God. As much He went about preaching, teaching, serving, healing and performing miracles, He spent His early days learning the Scriptures and almost every waking moment in prayer and constant commune with His Father. It allowed Him to dwell in the coming ‘joy that was set before Him’. The joy in being reunited with His Father, the joy of creating an eternal relationship with us and the joy of restored glory!
Ah wow, I have much to learn from that!

Before we pray, I’d like to leave you with the following questions:

• What does your ocean look like?
• How do you feel when you’re fixated on these things?
• How do the things you choose to read, and watch affect your perception of & trust in God? How do they impact your perception of life?
• Do you spend more time looking down at your ocean or up at Christ – Who walks beside you?
• What are certain activities or habits that may hinder or discourage you in your pursuit of God?
• On a scale of 1-10 (1 being not willing at all), how willing are you to let go of these practices? Why did you give it that score?

Let’s pray together!

Heavenly Father, we thank You for making a way for us to commune with You. Thank You that You foresaw our deepest need and fulfilled it through Your amazing Son – Jesus Christ. Thank You for the countless reminders of Who You are, what You’ve done, what You can do and what You will do. Lord, forgive us please for the many times in which we fail to seek, understand, trust, obey and love You as You deserve. I truly cannot fathom the depths of Your inexhaustible mercy, grace and love but I am immensely grateful for them all. Father, thank You so much for opening the eyes of our heart to realise our broken sinful nature, our dire need for You and for Christ and His sacrificial life. Thank You Lord for causing us to know and trust in the reality that Jesus is God. I pray for those who are reading this or those in our lives who are yet to see or believe in this truth, that You would move in a personal and powerful way in these lives so that they will come to complete surrender to You Father. Lord we commit into Your loving Hands the things in our lives which demand our focus. Please keep us from being consumed by the matters which cause us to stumble or remain complacent in our walk with You. Lord cause us to let go, or please remove those things which promote sin instead of godliness – no matter how painful the separation process may be – so that we may turn to You. Hedge us in if need be Father, so that we may finally realise our constant need of You. Father I commit those of us who are in situations where hope seems to be completely hidden behind distress. Father You have promised to never abandon us, You have promised to reveal to us the path of life, to grant us fullness of joy in Your presence. I ask in the mighty Name of Jesus that You would envelope these dear ones with Your loving presence and cause them to know Your divine joy in the midst of the storm. Keep us hungry for You Lord and please deepen our desire for You. We long to know more of You and we long to be ready for Your return. Continue to hold us close to You Father and help us to walk through the ocean which You have ordained for us with our eyes steadied upon You.

Love you heaps Lord.

In Jesus’ precious Name,

Amen.