Years ago, our family visited the Grand Canyon. We didn’t know anyone who had been there before. There was no frame of reference for how the experience would unfold, except for the fact that we had seen pictures of the Grand Canyon.
We set out for the southern rim, since the northern rim was literally on fire… Driving into the parking lot seemed no different than any other state park. I figured we’d have to walk a ways, maybe through woods, before the Grand Canyon would come into view. It would give me time to prepare, as I can have issues with vertigo mentally. We exited our car and began walking just a short distance, still in the parking lot, when suddenly it was there! The Grand Canyon in all its glory! I must say, it was A LOT to process! Your mind cannot comprehend the enormity of the canyon with all its beauty.
Even though I knew I was safe and nowhere near the edge of the canyon, my sight had convinced me that I needed to sit down so as not to fall headlong into the canyon.
Our reactions to sight are not always a result of what we are actually seeing, but instead of what we perceive. For example, we may have convinced ourselves of a poor outcome to a situation, seeing in our mind’s eye the worst. Becoming fearful, any courage we might’ve mustered in moving forward with that circumstance was dashed.
Has this happened to you? Have you found yourself letting your fears dictate your sight and influence your courage?
Let’s take a look at the biblical account of the Israelites when the Lord instructed confident leaders to go out and spy on the land of Canaan to see if it was suitable. Instead, they allowed their sight to influence their courage…
“Thus they told him, and said, “We went into the land where you sent us; and it certainly does flow with milk and honey, and this is its fruit. Nevertheless, the people who live in the land are strong, and the cities are fortified and very large; moreover, we saw the descendants of Anak there. Amalek is living in the land of the Negev, and the Hittites, the Jebusites, and the Amorites are living in the hill country, and the Canaanites are living by the sea and by the side of the Jordan. Then Caleb quieted the people before Moses and said, “We should by all means go up and take possession of it, for we will surely overcome it.” But the men who had gone up with him said, “We are not able to go up against the people, for they are too strong for us.” So they gave out to the sons of Israel a bad report of the land which they had spied out, saying, “The land through which we have gone, in spying it out, is a land that devours its inhabitants; and all the people whom we saw in it are men of great size. There also we saw the Nephilim (the sons of Anak are part of the Nephilim); and we became like grasshoppers in our own
sight, and so we were in their sight.” Numbers 13:27-33
Instead of trusting the Lord who promised a land flowing with milk and honey, which indeed they did see with their own eyes, they allowed their sight to be distracted by the Nephilim and caused fear in their hearts. As a result, they made the report seem worse than it was because they lacked the courage to move forward into a territory with those giants. Unlike the shepherd boy David, who did not let the sight of Goliath hinder his mission for the Lord, but proclaimed that the Lord was with him, these spies created doubt and fear among the people, rather than trusting in the Lord's strength.
Let’s look at three ways you can stop your sight from feeding your fears and influencing your courage.
Keep your Eyes Focused on Jesus.
"But when he saw the strong wind and waves, he was afraid and began to sink. So he cried out, 'Lord, save me!' Immediately, Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. 'You of little faith,' he said, 'why did you doubt?'" Matthew 14:30-31
It’s hard to believe that at this age, I ever ice-skated. Well, I’m not sure if you could call it that. Lol. I would push off with the same foot to continue forward motion. It was tiring and not very pretty. However, there was one time when I actually got into the groove and naturally moved each of my feet from side to side. I was pretty pleased with myself. Lol. But then I started overthinking. Instead of enjoying my newly acquired skill and the fun of skating, I started thinking about what my legs and feet were doing. The more I focused on that, the more messed up I got, to the point of eventually falling. Do you know what? I never ice skated again after that. How silly, I was so close, but abandoned it because of falling. I became so hyper-focused on what I was doing that it took the joy away from it.
How blessed we are as Believers to have Jesus, our ever-present help, in ALL circumstances. Although we may not have eyes on Jesus, we can certainly place our spiritual eyes squarely on Him. No matter what is causing us anxiety. Whether it's a new diagnosis, financial difficulty, or a new experience, whatever the case may be, we can keep our eyes focused on the Lord.
How do we do this? By staying in the Word. Meditating on Scripture. Claiming God’s promises as our own. Praying.
When we incorporate all of these disciplines into our daily lives, our eyes will be continually focused on Jesus, where all fear will disappear and our courage will be buoyed.
Remember it is the Lord who orders your Steps.
"The steps of a man are established by the Lord, when he delights in his way; though he
fall, he shall not be cast headlong, for the Lord upholds his hand." Psalm 37:23
This verse can be a challenging one for people to accept or understand, especially when those steps lead to difficult circumstances, such as financial ruin, the dissolution of relationships, or illness. Yet how can we think that as children of God we would avoid hardship, when Jesus Himself, “a man of sorrows, acquainted with grief” Isaiah 53:3, suffered and died on the cross for our sins and redemption.
We mustn’t lose heart. Though we may be in the valley of the shadow of death, we need not fear, for God will comfort us. As our verse above states, He will uphold us and not allow us to fall into the pit. BUT when our sight is focused SOLELY on what we are afraid of, we will fall into despair, the proverbial pit.
When you were a child or maybe even as an adult, lying in bed at night in the dark, looking over at your open closet, you would convince yourself you saw a scary figure standing there. You’d first bury your head in the covers, but then reason would take over, and you’d get up to turn on the light only to see it was just the way your robe draped over the hanger. Your mind created this whole hideous figure out of a piece of clothing. We can do that with our own circumstances. Indeed, we may find ourselves in challenging situations. Still, when we rely on our own perception, we may actually be exaggerating the severity in our mind's eye than it really is.
Instead, focus on your Sovereign Lord who has ordered your steps. Who knew about the valley you were going to be in before it even happened? Yet He never intended to send you there alone. When you keep your eyes focused on Jesus and remember.
His Sovereignty, your courage will increase. He is the Good Shepherd who guides you and keeps you safe even when everything seems to be going wrong.
Lean not on your own Understanding.
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths". Proverbs 3:5-6
If you’re like me, you can worry like it’s your job. In fact, when you are faced with a problem, and especially if you are waiting for the fix, you decide that by worrying, aka coming up with all the scenarios that COULD happen, that you are somehow facilitating the fix. How silly…
Some things will happen in life that just aren’t going to make sense… That defies all understanding. I know someone who has been out of work for almost a year and has exhausted their financial resources. Yet EVERY time it seems this person will get a break, actually to pursue a job and make money, the other shoe drops. At this rate, they have had an entire shoe store dropped on them and are no closer to getting back to work. Yes, the Lord has been providing, but the stress is still very much present because the focus is on the problem rather than the blessings that are coming. In no way do I minimize this. It is EXTREMELY stressful to be without money, but when we trust in the Lord and not
allow the sight of the bank account to feed our fear or influence our courage moving forward, He will indeed make our paths straight and provide for us in amazing ways.
Sometimes the hardest lessons come when we are fixated on what we see rather than focused on the spiritual realm that is at work for us. Not to sound cliché, but the Lord desires goodness for us. "Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever". Psalm 23:6. It might not look how we envisioned it, which is another form of allowing our sight to feed our fears. You might be a young woman who was hoping you’d be married by now, and you are fearful you will never be married. Alternatively, you may have envisioned your life as a mother with children, but that has not yet come to pass for your family. Whatever it is, our sight can deceive us in so many ways.
Instead, “zoom out” and view your circumstances from the standpoint of the spiritual realm, trusting God and His perfect ways. Once you do, you will find your courage and your fear will be replaced with joy, despite your circumstances.
Dear Heavenly Father, Thank you for giving us perfect 20/20 eternal vision when we look to Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. Remind us to keep our eyes focused on you in all circumstances.
1. Is there anything you have set your sights on that is feeding your fear?
2. What can you do this week to shift your focus to Jesus?
Photo Credit: ©iStock/Getty Images Plus/Igor Alecsander
