The Right Direction

The final hours of the evening were filled with teeth brushing, room cleaning, stories, and kisses. As I was doing my final walk through to make sure my throw pillows were back on the couch, and every nerf dart from the day’s battles were back in their box, the sky caught my attention. I was amazed at how many stars were out. I grabbed Dan’s arm and said, “you have to come see the stars with me.” We stood in the yard looking up at all the twinkly small dots in the sky. I told Dan that God always shows me shooting stars. Not even a minute later Dan said, “there is one!” “shucks,” I thought to myself, “I missed it.” I stood for another few minutes waiting to see the one God had for me, but nothing. 

Lying in bed that evening, I heard His still small voice, “I sent you a perfect shooting star, you were just looking in the wrong direction.”

After the year we have all experienced, I believe this is a word from the Lord for all of us today, including myself. While we have been busy looking at hateful acts, the hurting, the misleading information, the sickness, the broken relationships and all of the acts of darkness that has surrounded this season, God has been working. He is still the same God yesterday, today and forever. I believe God is calling us to turn our eyes not to the things that are seen, but to the things that are unseen. He is the One who knows every detailed beautiful part of you. The One who knew your name before it was given to you. Oh, how we tend to live like the Israelites. We have seen God do miracles and we have heard of His marvelous deeds, yet we think He has turned His back on us. He is a God who loves, and His mercies are new every morning. He will not leave or forsake us.  

I am not ignorant to the fact that there is brokenness all around, but I believe that in the midst of the storm, we praise! We rejoice! We love with open hearts, making His name great among the nations! Today, I believe that God would ask us to humble ourselves and remember where our strength comes from. I can picture God gently grabbing our chins and turning our faces away from the evil and to His beautiful face. I believe when we keep our eyes fixed on Him, the power of the enemy diminishes. As we rise up in faith, as we worship and praise the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, the enemy shudders. It is time as Christians we stop giving the enemy power, and simply turn our gaze. If we don’t we may miss all the beautiful things God is doing while looking away.    

Therefore, we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal. 2 Corinthians 4:16-18