I could feel her heart heaving through our clasped hands. Her tears flowed as we took her cares to the Lord together. When our world is awash with a storm of burdens, how can we lift our eyes?
No one has to help me see my own wants and worries. Do you? God’s word talks about lifting our eyes when we need help. Why is it so hard if it matters so much? What’s blocks our view of God’s power for our problems?
Jeff and I wandered through the plumbing section, looking at yard irrigation parts, a whole new world for us. We have moved from the land of rain and mold to the land of dust and timed irrigation . By the time we made our way to the soil section, the wind was picking up.
No one else was outside; through the chain links I noticed a tan glow. Raising my voice, I asked Jeff if he thought we should go. By the time we paid and walked out, visibility was limited to the front parking spaces. One big thing didn’t obstruct our sight, but the swirl of many particles created a cloud covering the usually clear view of mountains, roads, and homes. Visibility was lost in the cloud.
On the way home, afternoon sun faintly shone behind the wall of dust. Cars tried to carefully navigate, but local emergency rooms still received injuries from accidents. Locals tell me this wasn’t a big dust storm, but it was our first. It doesn’t take one big thing to block the view. A combined storm of many pieces can blind us.
If I’m going to see what God wants me to see, I have to refuse to focus only on my swirl of many cares or particles of pain. We miss out on the answer to our own problems, unless we let the Holy Spirit blow through the storm. My combined cares have the potential to limit His lordship in my life.
- As our nearby hill disappeared from view, God’s word reminded me of how easily I’m blinded by my cares in this life (Philippians 3:17-19). My cares create a cloud that blocks my perspective.
- Even if I’m feeding on God’s word, “the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it proves unfruitful,” (Mark 4:18-19).
- Worrying is a waste, (Philippians 4:6) an act of withdrawing trust from Him.
- God speaks for me when I have no words (Romans 8:26). If I linger long on my combined cares, I limit His lordship in my life.
Looking up isn’t natural when our world is crumbling, but it’s the answer to our anxiety. If we want to see God’s answer for our problems and His greater purposes, we have to invite His Holy Spirit to blow away the cloud of our cares and bring God’s peace.
What’s your storm? What names would you give your cares? We do not have to let the storm block our view!
So far we’ve talked about the one who wants us to keep looking at ourselves and at how many cares may limit God’s lordship in our lives. Next week we’ll talk about what we see when we look. It’s why I can say to my heavy-hearted friend, “It’s okay. We can trust God. You’re going to love what you see.” Lifting our eyes is the answer to our problems and there’s a view we don’t want to miss!
For more encouragement, check out: How God comforts us and redeems our valleys.
“A combined storm of many pieces can blind us.”
That line really hit me today. Yes, so true. It’s often the little things piling up that finally overwhelms us. Not always the broken pipe catastrophe, but sometimes the incessant drip-drip of annoyances and aggravations.
It’s hard to see clearly in a storm. But, if we keep our eyes on Jesus, we’ll always see our way to the other side.
GOD BLESS!
Yes. Or Proverbs talks about “the little foxes” in the vineyard. Collected, they can be overwhelming. Oh that we would keep our eyes on Jesus so we can see!