Anyone who has ever tried to capture a quality photograph understands how important it is to ensure the proper focus. A good photographer know how to bring the main subject of his or her photo into focus while allowing all other objects to fade in the background. With that in mind, we should think like a photographer as we view life around us. Every moment of any day, we have plenty of objects and people that may be “in our picture.” However, we can choose which ones we will bring into focus and which ones we will let fade into the background. Those decisions makes a huge difference on our attitude and perspective! Let me remind you of one account from Scripture that illustrates this point.
Matthew chapter 14 tells the story of how Jesus miraculously walked on water and then called for Peter to do the same. Dispelling the laws of nature, Peter stepped out of the boat in faith and walked on the water toward Jesus. Everything was going fine until Peter turned his eyes away from Jesus to look at the threatening waves. “But when [Peter] looked around at the high waves, he was terrified and began to sink” (v. 30, NLT). It is no coincidence that Peter began to sink when he did. We, too, start to sink when we shift our focus from our Savior to our problems.
Fixing our eyes on Jesus is vital to our faith. When Jesus rescued Peter from the waters, He asked His disciple, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” (Matt. 14:31). Let’s think about that question. Why did Peter doubt? We know Peter became afraid when he saw the tossing waves around him. However, if his eyes had been totally focused on Jesus, those waves would have simply been faded objects in the background of God’s glory! You see, when we truly fix our eyes on the Lord, we become totally consumed with His greatness to the point that any challenges pale in comparison!
As A.W. Tozer points out in his book, The Pursuit of God, “Faith is a redirecting of our sight, a getting out of the focus of our own vision and getting God into focus.” Indeed, any need we could possibly have is answered when we look to Him and hear Him say, “I AM!” The writer of Hebrews urges us to “run with endurance the race that God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the Originator and Perfecter of our faith” (Heb. 12:1-2a, NLT).
So, stop looking at your problems in a natural state of mind. God is not limited to natural means; He operates by His own higher standard. In the natural, Peter would have never walked on water. However, by focusing on Jesus, he received supernatural ability to fulfill what God had called him to do. You can do the same! Gain a new perspective on life by focusing on Jesus today!
Reflections 