By Kathleen Skaar Christian Library International www.cli-nc.org
My eyes are ever on the LORD, for only he will release my feet from the snare. Psalm 25:15 NIV
In Psalm 25 David is aware of two major obstacles: his sins and his earthly enemies. Both are a trap for David that could put him into a pit of despair. This pit of hopelessness could keep him from experiencing God and His favor.
But instead of looking at his dire circumstances or even looking inward to himself, David looks to God. David is confident that God will save him. He asks and expects forgiveness for his sins (Psalm 25:11, 18), and he asks and expects rescue from his enemies (Psalm 25:2, 20). David’s hope is in God alone and therefore he is looking at both his sin and his enemies through ‘eyes of faith.’
Faith is trust or confidence in God. It means not looking at your own heart-wrenching situation but looking beyond it to the LORD. To have ‘eyes of faith’ is to have your faith working and active at all times and in all circumstances.
Whatever trap that you are in, God is the only one who can provide the solution. Just as He provided for David, He provides for us. God gave us His Son Jesus for the forgiveness of our sins (Romans 10:9-10 and the sword of the Spirit to fight against our enemies (Ephesians 5:12, 17).
Now, God my not change a particular situation to our dictates or even our liking, but He will work through it for our eternal good. In other words, whatever we are facing that hinders or keeps us from living a successful Christian life, Jesus will guide us through it. As we rely on Him, we are promised freedom from anguish and distress. Through the ‘eyes of faith’ we arepromised peace (Philippians 4:7).
Together we serve many inmates who joyfully look at their situation through the ‘eyes of faith.’ Mary corresponds from a jail in Texas testifying that no matter what she has lost in worldly things and freedoms that it could not compare to seeing Jesus. She writes, “I want to spend everyday of my life living for God and to be one of His chosen. I want to be a child of God, so all can see His love in my eyes. I glorify Jesus Christ’s name and thank Him for allowing me to walk with Him.”Mary is filled with peace and contentment even though God has not released her body from her jail cell. Her eyes are fixed on the God of her salvation and freedom of her soul in Christ.
Let us fix our eyes on the lord of our salvation. Let us keep our view unobstructed by the “iron bars” that we face each day. Then let us join David and Mary through the ‘eyes of faith’ and sing praise to His holy name:
The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to him in song. (Psalm 28:7 NIV)