A Matter of Perspective

Have you ever felt that your life was getting out of control? Maybe you have received a bad report from the doctor. Perhaps you just can’t seem to get a grip on your finances. What if there is an untrue rumor about you floating around the workplace? There are many instances in life when we feel that it’s too late even for damage control! It places a sinking feeling in your chest and you just don’t know where to turn.

It’s times like this when a Christian knows that God is the place they should turn, but isn’t it odd that this is exactly the sort of time that you just can’t seem to lay your burdens upon Him? It does for me more than I would like to admit. We have this tendency to assume that God has bigger things to do or maybe you have been convicted of your sin and wonder why God should do you any favors. As much as I preach to myself, there are times when the despair sets in. I can get moody and withdrawn and just wish the problems would go away. Life begins to unravel and I feel so powerless to do anything about it.

This feeling is expressed quite well by Elisha’s servant in the Bible. He saw the Syrian army approaching and immediately thought the worst. You can read into his question to Elisha the fear that was consuming him. We would say that he had a good reason to fear, for the army of Syria would soon overtake them and they would have no chance of escape on their own.

2 Kings 6:15-17
When the servant of the man of God rose early in the morning and went out, behold, an army with horses and chariots was all around the city. And the servant said, “Alas, my master! What shall we do?” He said, “Do not be afraid, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” Then Elisha prayed and said, “O Lord, please open his eyes that he may see.” So the Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw, and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.

The response of Elisha is quite telling. Before he asked God to do anything about the approaching doom, he prayed that the perception of his servant would be changed. This is something that I could use more of and I suspect many of you would do well to meditate on passages such as this. Let’s face it. We’re control freaks. Whether we wish to control the movements of others or just ourselves, we find a great deal of comfort when we are in command of our own destinies. I truly believe that many times the trouble that enters our lives is there to break this notion. Ours isn’t so much a problem of control as it is a problem of perspective.

Matthew 6:34
“Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”

It wasn’t that long ago that the buzzword of the blogosphere was “worldview.” Through the lens of how we see the world, we would navigate our way between truth and error, license and sin. What I haven’t seen too much of are posts about the providence and sovereignty of God when it comes to the personal trials that befall us all. For some, these trials are meant to shape us into the image of Christ, setting aside our fear for the joy set before us. For others, these trials are meant to break the grip we have on the works of our own hands so we may either believe and be saved or have no excuse on the last day. A worldview is more than a tool for discernment. In the simplest form, it is the way we view this world around us.

Romans 8:31
What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?

The world will have its troubles. That much is made clear in the Bible. Trials are both the gift and the curse of God upon us. How you you view the trials of life? Do you gnash your teeth at them and strive even harder to overcome them or do you thank God for His work in your life, bending your stubborn will to Him? When you pray do you ask God to lift these trials or do you ask for the grace to look beyond this vapor that we call life and look to the joy that God has set before you? God is our reward. If that is true, then what sort of trouble can cause us to tremble? Just as Elisha’s servant learned, it’s a matter of perspective.

Let us keep our eyes affixed to the one we long to see above all and do not forget that the only reason the promises of this one can be relied upon is for His own sake. God has introduced all who are His into His covenant. Through this covenant, He tells us that all who eat and drink of Him will be saved. In remembering this covenant, He accepts us as His own. He enables us to perceive His magnificence and to desire only Him. The more we long for His beauty, the less we will notice the suffering of this temporal life. If you bear the righteousness of Christ, God is on your side. For your own sake and for the sake of our Lord who has provided us with hope, please don’t forget this.

Tags: Perspective