Behold, as the eyes of
servants look to the hand of their masters…, so our eyes look to the Lord our
God… —Psalm 123:2
{CHAMBERS} “This verse is a description of total reliance on God.
Just as the eyes of a servant are riveted on his master, our eyes should be
directed to and focused on God. This is how knowledge of His countenance is
gained and how God reveals Himself to us (see Isaiah 53:1). Our spiritual
strength begins to be drained when we stop lifting our eyes to Him. Our stamina
is sapped, not so much through external troubles surrounding us but through
problems in our thinking. […] For example, you came to a crisis in your life,
took a stand for God, and even had the witness of the Spirit as a confirmation
that what you did was right. But now, maybe weeks or years have gone by, and
you are slowly coming to the conclusion— “Well, maybe what I did showed too
much pride or was superficial. Was I taking a stand a bit too high for me?”
Your “rational” friends come and say, “Don’t be silly. We knew when you first
talked about this spiritual awakening that it was a passing impulse, that you
couldn’t hold up under the strain. And anyway, God doesn’t expect you to
endure.” You respond by saying, “Well, I suppose I was expecting too much.”
That sounds humble to say, but it means that your reliance on God is gone, and
you are now relying on worldly opinion. The danger comes when, no longer
relying on God, you neglect to focus your eyes on Him. […] Whenever there is a
spiritual drain in your life, correct it immediately. Realize that something
has been coming between you and God, and change or remove it at once.”
{ELGIN} The seed for doubtful
thinking was planted in the Garden when Satan asked Eve, “Did God really say ….
?” Living by faith means that you are
responsible to obey God and God is responsible for the events and the fruit
thereof after that as you live by faith in the midst of them. When we came to Texas, we thought that it
would be an instant replay of Mississippi – NOT! So then you ask yourself .. are we in the
right place? Did God really say …. ? Dr. Henry Blackaby, in Experiencing God, wrote
that knowing it’s God’s voice is not the problem .. obeying His voice is the
problem. (paraphrased). Like Peter once
you are on the water .. it is easy to look around you and take your eyes off of
the One who called you out of the boat!
What is your circumstance that is testing your faith? The first step is to test your spiritual
condition. If you don’t have a clean heart
… right before God .. how can you expect to be in step with God? Second .. you must be connected to God
through His Word, prayer and submission to the Spirit. It is an easy pitfall to find yourself in
when you come to expect God to do what you imagine will be done and not seek
His will and His alone. If you get a
sense of satisfaction from what you are doing more than from knowing you are
living in the will of God, you are on the wrong path. Paul said that his “job” was to plant, Apollos
watered .. but God brought the increase.
If God’s in it, He always brings the increase … whatever that looks
like. It’s all too easy to use man’s
measures of effectiveness in making a determination as to whether the work is
worthy of your effort.
Are you willing to serve with
no evidence of fruit for your entire lifetime?
We do not get to dictate what the increase will look like or when it
will occur. Our obligation is go where
He says go and to do what He says to do.
To live faithfully. To focus on
His will not our own. To trust Him and not ourselves. (Proverbs 16:9) "Men make plans in their hearts, but God orders their steps" Do we know Texas is where God wants us? Yes. Do we know what is going to happen tomorrow?
No. Men Bondye Konnen! But God knows! That should be good enough for
those who have laid their lives down at the foot of the Cross. The question is ... Is it?
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