I live in Arizona, and since moving here some 23 years ago, I’ve learned to look to the horizon at sunset and sunrise. They are simply spectacular here, and I see God there each and every time. However, looking at the horizon can be a hazardous thing for a believer, at least symbolically, and to tell the truth, the Bible quite clearly teaches something altogether different.
Sadly, though, looking to the horizon—or the future or tomorrow or what might happen next—is exactly what has permeated not only humanity these days, but the majority of the Christian community. In today’s political, social, and healthcare turmoil, everyone—believer and non-believer alike—is looking to the future and trying to ascertain what might come next.
What does all of this mean?
What’s actually happening?
What does our future look like?
Some say it’s because we live in such uncertain times, but I ask you, when have they ever been certain? We’re promised that we don’t know what the next second holds, so why would all of that change now?
My office is full these days, and I have a waiting list a mile long, all people wanting biblical counsel. What I’m finding is that almost every single one of them is living in fear and anxiety, the likes of which they’ve never experienced before. They rightfully come to me, knowing that the answers are going to be in the Bible, but the greatest majority of them are almost paralyzed by anxious days and nights. They come to me, wanting biblical answers to their fears, which is exactly right. However, the answers they get are generally not the ones they were seeking.
You see, God never once tells us to look to the horizon, or the future, if you will, so that we will know which way to turn. As a matter of fact, every direction we receive from God’s Word tells us to look down, at our feet, not out, at the horizon. We are always directed to follow His path, that He will light our feet, and that we must follow His way.
Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. (Psalm 119:105)
In all your ways, acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. (Proverbs 3:6)
The steps of a man are established by the Lord, when he delights in his way. (Psalm 37:23)
My foot has held fast to his steps; I have kept his way and have not turned aside. (Job 23:11)
It will always be the propensity of man to look out. We are physically made that way, not to mention our spiritual and emotional predisposition to try to figure out what’s coming down the pike. Yet God tells us to instead look down. He tells us to watch the path, to pay attention to where are feet are treading, to trust His way. We are never instructed to try and deduce what God will do in any situation, whether good or bad in our eyes. He is good so the answer will be good. Period.
Instead, you and I need to pay attention to our feet. Am I following Him? Am I being obedient to Him? Do I trust Him?
And then, just do today.
That’s a tough pill to swallow sometimes. Everything seems so uncertain, and no matter which way we look, there seems to be some national or international crisis pulling at our attention, trying desperately to take our eyes off of the path and put them on the horizon.
The truth is, brothers and sisters, that we are the only anchor to truth the world has today. What truth are we conveying when we join the throngs of onlookers, gazing in fear and anxiety at tomorrow?
The truth we should be conveying is found in Psalm 2,
Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth set themselves and the rulers take counsel together…. The Lord sits on his throne and laughs.
Only we can show the world the anchor of hope that is Jesus, and only then if we truly anchor ourselves in Him first.
The next logical question is, How? How do I let go of my anxieties and live in true peace when the world is anything but?
The answer is to do what’s in front of us. Jesus told us not to worry about tomorrow, so we won’t. Instead, we’ll keep our eyes on the path in front of us, moving where He directs and trusting our tomorrow to Him.
Jeremy Camp has a relatively new song out now called, “Keep Me in the Moment.” That song has become my anthem, and I’ve encouraged every one of my clients to print out the chorus and tape it to their mirrors at home.
“Lord, keep me in the moment; keep my eyes wide open.
I don’t want to miss what you have for me.”
Christian, God promises to light your path and guide your feet, and believe me, you don’t want to miss what He’s going to show you. As for the rest, God’s got it. He always has.
debwaterbury.com.