 |
Worlds End State Park and Loyalsock Creek
Sullivan
County, Pennsylvania |
“I guess God put me on my back so I would look up,” Mabel
Fleck told my husband when he visited her in the hospital, way back in the
early 90’s.
The direction we are looking says a lot about how we are
feeling. When we are ashamed, we look guiltily down at our feet. When we are
frightened, we open our eyes wide and glance quickly around us. When we are
discouraged, we find ourselves staring unfocused at nothing in particular. When
sadness overwhelms us, we squeeze our eyes shut in an effort to block out the
pain and our grief leaks out as tears. When we are angry, our eyes narrow to
slits and shoot fire.
God’s Word says that there is a place and a person where,
and upon whom, our eyes should be focused: “My voice You shall hear in the
morning, O Lord; In the morning, I will direct it to You, and I will look up.” (Psalm
5:3).
“I will look up.”
When faced with a scary procedure, a disheartening
situation, a scenario that breaks our hearts, or an ire-filled confrontation,
it’s easy to look everywhere but up.
We seek something, anything, to focus
upon that will re-direct our attention from negative circumstances, forgetting our
One Source of true hope—Jesus.
Psalm 121 reminds us upon Whom we are to focus:
I look to the mountains;
where will my help
come from?
My help will come from the Lord,
who made heaven
and earth.
He will not let you fall;
your protector is
always awake.
The protector of Israel
never dozes or
sleeps.
The Lord will guard you;
he is by your side
to protect you.
The sun will not hurt you during the day,
nor the moon
during the night.
The Lord will protect you from all danger;
he will keep you
safe.
He will protect you as you come and go
now and forever.
Lord, whether we, like Mabel, are flat on our backs in the
hospital or are climbing another kind of “Mt. Everest” in our lives, help us to
“look up”, keeping our focus on You, our comforter, guide, and redeemer. Amen.
Be encouraged!
Pam©2017 Pamela D. Williams
