Discover His heart: He signals us with His hand of mercy as we fix our eyes on Him
I remember a movie from several years ago about a bride who left several grooms at the altar over a period of time because she got cold feet and ran away, hence the title, Runaway Bride. The final groom devised a plan to keep her feet from running through eye contact as she walked down the aisle. It was a great plan, and all was going well until a camera flashed, she lost eye contact with the groom, and yes, she headed for the hills. As with most romantic comedies, they eventually got married and lived happily ever after, but the movie provided a great example of what can happen when we get distracted and lose our focus.
@ Psalm 123
“I lift my eyes to you, O God, enthroned in heaven. We keep looking to the Lord our God for his mercy, just as servants keep their eyes on their master, as a slave girl watches her mistress for the slightest signal.” (1-2) Servants stand ready to move, like runners at the block, anticipating the signal to run, to fetch, to do for the master. Shifting their eyes away could cause them to miss the awaited signal, the chance to serve or even to be served by the master’s generous hand.
Whenever I faced a difficult situation in my youth, my mom always said, “Phyllis, you can’t look at circumstances. You have to keep your eyes on Jesus.” And how right she was! Every time I put my focus on the problem, I lost sight of my Master and His hand of mercy for the solution. When we keep our eyes fixed on Him, just like the servant fixed on his master, we won’t miss anything God has for us and the opportunity to serve Him.
As we read in Acts 7 last week, Stephen knew where to turn his focus as the stones were flying, “But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed steadily into heaven and saw the glory of God, and he saw Jesus standing in the place of honor at God’s right hand.” (55) Stephen’s darkest moment was turned into a glorious light as he looked to God for His mercy. And as we recently read in Hebrews 12, “Let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith.” (1-2) He’s our Master who signals, who initiates and perfects our faith as well as our actions with that faith.
I don’t want to miss even the slightest signal from the Lord, where He directs my life through His mercy. Mom was right – keeping my focus on the circumstances of life will cause me to get cold feet and run. I have to stay focused on the Lord no matter how many flashes attempt to disrupt my gaze. I’m no Runaway Bride! My eyes are fixed on my Groom.
Moving Forward: I’m keeping my eyes on Jesus today, ready to serve. I won’t look at circumstances but only to His hand of mercy for even the slightest signal.
Tomorrow @ Ecclesiastes 1-2
Phyllis Benigas 