| Keep your eyes on God (9-10-02) Have you ever had "One of those Days"? Some people seem to think that if you are a Christian you don't have any more rough or troubling days. I'm not sure where they find a basis for this but its surely not in the Bible. Have a look at the book of Job. Some of the key factors here revolve around the fact that when Satan had come into the presence of God he was asked if he had seen Job. Satan of course knew who he was and didn't like him very much because Job kept his eyes focused straight ahead on God, and made sure He was always first in his life. Take some time to read the first chapter of Job and look at the conversation between God and Satan. Satan accused God of putting a hedge of protection around Job and said that if God removed it and Satan was allowed to go after him full out that Job would turn on God. I don't know about you but I like the sound of this hedge of protection. Satan was allowed to go after Job but could not touch him directly and the attack he launched was brutal. In a day's time Job lost his cattle, his land and his children. It appears from reading it that the only family member who survived was his wife. Job was devastated. Imagine what he was feeling. Everything he had was suddenly taken away from him and look at what the Bible says he did: Job 1:20-22 Job stood up and tore his robe in grief. Then he shaved his head and fell to the ground and worshiped God. He said, "I came naked from my mother�s womb, and I will be stripped of everything when I die. The Lord gave me everything I had, and the Lord has taken it away. Praise the name of the Lord!" In all of this, Job did not sin by blaming God. Wow! Not only did he not "blame God" he said "Praise the name of the Lord!". Job knew his God was in control of what was happening. He realized that God was still with him. Job didn't say "I worked so hard for all this and look what happened. God why would you do this to me? What did I do to deserve this?". I don't know about you but I am guilty of asking these questions in my past. For some reason people get into a line of thinking that we earned what we have and we did it all on our own. I for one know that I don't even get my next breath without His approval. Jonah was another example of God's love and mercy. It is also another example of what happens when we take our eyes off God. To sum up what happened Jonah was a prophet that God told go to Nineveh and announce God has passed judgment on the city and its people and all will be destroyed. Jonah promptly got up and started out on a trip....going the opposite direction. At this point of the story Jonah not only took his eyes off God but literally turned his back and went the other way. As the story goes he ended up being thrown overboard on the ship he was traveling in and was swallowed by a "great fish". Now here is Jonah, alive, under water and in the belly of a fish. He had openly gone against God's command and was now paying for his decision. Here is what Jonah said: Jonah 2:1-2,7 Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from inside the fish. He said, � I cried out to the Lord in my great trouble, and he answered me. I called to you from the world of the dead, and Lord, you heard me!� (7) �When I had lost all hope, I turned my thoughts once more to the Lord. And my earnest prayer went out to you in your holy Temple.� In verse 7 he hit a home run. Jonah said "I turned my thoughts once more to the Lord". Immediately he realized why he was in this situation, and it was his decision that brought it all about. Jonah put his eyes back to the Lord and pledged to do what God had commanded. If you read the story you know what comes next, the fish spit him out on the beach and not only did he go to Nineveh but I am sure he needed to replace his sandals by the time he arrived. King David was the man God used to reunite the tribes of Israel into a great nation. David was refered to as a man after God's heart. God even promised that through David's bloodline Christ would come to this earth to save us all from our sins. God had great plans for David. One day while David was on the roof of the Palace he made a terrible mistake. Not only did he take his eyes of God but he let them come to rest on a beautiful woman bathing nearby. David was instantly swept away by her beauty and sent someone to find out who she was and to bring her to him. Bathsheba was her name and she was the WIFE of Uriah, a soldier in David's army. David had sexual relations with Bathsheba and the next thing you know she turned up pregnant. Big surprise there? No not really. Now King David had a serious problem and instead of going to God for guidance he sent for Uriah to be brought home from the front lines and met with him. David tried to get Uriah to go spend the night with Bathsheba so that when she was found to be pregnant it could easily be considered Uriah's child but Uriah refused. David was getting more desperate and went to the final stage of his depravity. Uriah was sent back to the front lines of battle with a sealed message to the commander that stated Uriah was to be put on the front lines of battle and the King did not want him to survive. Not long after, a message came to the King that Uriah was dead. David though he had solved his problems and seemed to have forgotten God completely until the Prophet Nathan showed up. Nathan confronted David and told him that God was not pleased and as a result the child would die. David confessed his sin and went into mourning. David prayed day and night as he fasted asking God to let the child live but God's righteous judgment was made and soon after the child died. The king's advisers were so scared of what David would do when he heard that they did not want to tell him. When King David was told of the child's death what did he do? Did he Jump up and down in a fit of rage. Did he curse God for taking the child. Here is what he said: 2 Samuel 12:22-23 David replied, �I fasted and wept while the child was alive, for I said, �Perhaps the Lord will be gracious to me and let the child live.� But why should I fast when he is dead? Can I bring him back again? I will go to him one day, but he cannot return to me.� David accepted the judgment of God and went back to daily life running the Kingdom. David had reached a crossroad that all of us will at sometime in our lives where we will either submit to the will of God or turn our backs on him and harden our hearts. David put his eyes back on God and moved forward for the glory of God. I lost a dear relative to cancer a couple years ago and it hurt very bad. When Mike was diagnosed with the cancer he didn't lay on the ground crying "why me" he stopped and took stock of what he had and what he was missing. He looked around and realized that there was no one here that could comfort or care for him in the way that he needed. Mike looked up and put his eyes on God and found Salvation. For the duration of his life he praised God for all he had and would have in his life to come. Mike didn't lash out against God but fell on his knees at the feet of Jesus Christ. He was such an example to our family and friends that several more followed quickly and gave their lives to Christ. Mike is gone now but his legacy is a strong song of praise to our Lord Jesus Christ. I have a friend who is a good bit older than me. Billy lost his son to a motorcycle accident when they boy was in his late teens. Billy blamed God for the loss of his son and hardened his heart. Billy refuses to celebrate Thanksgiving because he says he has nothing to be thankful for. He refuses to celebrate Christmas because he is mad at God. These are two examples of how people handle tragedy and death. The Bible is full of the trials and tribulations of the faithful but at NO POINT does the Bible say God turned against His people. I have taken my eyes off God in the past and paid for it. I have been miserable and hurt. I have let Satan beat me down and had to suffer through his gloating about it. It makes him very happy to hurt any of God's children because he knows he has lost the war and this is the only thing he has left. He wants to hurt you, shame you, belittle you, insult you and if God were to permit it....kill you. As a last note open your Bible and read what King David wrote in Psalm 13. The chapter is 6 verses long. See what happens suddenly in Verse 5 when David realizes he needs to put his eyes back on God. We sometimes take our eyes of God, but he NEVER takes His eyes off us. Return to Navigation Page |