I remember as a child the first time that I went to the eye doctor.After getting my eyes examined and putting on my first pair of glasses, I vividly recall that what previously appeared to be merely a blanket of green was transformed into individual blades of grass.It was breathtaking to see a new world emerge in front of me as I gained a clear and true focus of reality.
Similarly, once I learned to see life through the lens of God’s Sovereignty it changed everything about how I perceived life.
For example, for those of us who live in the Eastern part of the U.S., it has been raining “cats and dogs” almost non-stop the past several weeks. I’ve heard grumbling about the amount of rain and cloudy days that have impacted family vacations, gatherings, and 4th of July celebrations. There’s a time when I would’ve been complaining too…but God opened my eyes to see that nothing happens without the Lord orchestrating it. And if He has orchestrated it, I can trust that it is always for my good and for His glory! (Romans 8:28) So now I look for a reason to praise God in all circumstances—even in the storms of life.
I praise God for the reality that He alone can make a rainstorm.
I praise God that we are not experiencing drought or famine.
I praise Him for the lush greenery that covers the land.
I rejoice that the torrential rains bring to mind The Great Flood and Noah’s Ark, a reminder of God’s merciful heart in choosing not to destroy the earth, and salvation of Noah and his family because of Noah’s righteousness, from whom we have all descended.
I praise God that He has revealed to us what it will be like when Jesus comes again to Earth. Jesus stated, as recorded in Matthew 24:37-39, “As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark;and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.”
What a blessing it is to know that in these days of turmoil that the God Who created the world and knows and controls its beginning and end has revealed to us in the bible what is to come. Seeing life through the lens of His Word gives me hope, peace, and joy knowing that I can trust that the One Who created this world and gave me life in Him is at work even now to bring about the end that He has planned since the beginning of time.
Like a magnifying glass, what you focus on will expand. If your focus is only on your circumstances, you will easily succumb to grumbling and even fear. If however your focus is on God and on His Sovereignty and goodness, your focus will lead you to trust in Him and to experiencing peace and joy regardless of the storms of life.
Are you full of fear or faith? On what are you focusing? On your circumstances, or on the One Who controls every circumstance and Who is at work bringing all things together for your good and the glory of His Name?
Written by Julie Van Gorp