“Turn your eyes upon Jesus. Look full in his wonderful face. And the things of earth will grow strangely dim. In the light of his glory and grace.”
~Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus by Helen H. Lemmel
Can I tell you this past week has been a ball of mixed emotions toggling between feeling chaotic and things feeling out of control? These emotions were so evident to me as I found myself right in the middle of waiting to see my prayers answered and His power at work in my life.
But amid all those emotions, here are the song lyrics, the Holy Spirit placed on my heart:
“Turn your eyes upon Jesus. Look full in his wonderful face. And the things of earth will grow strangely dim. In the light of his glory and grace.” ~Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus by Helen H. Lemmel.
To put the above lyrics through the context of scripture. Let’s go to Matthew 14:29-33 (NIV). Peter, along with the other disciples are out on a boat in the middle of the lake. They see Jesus walking out on the water towards them. Peter, after getting over his initial fear of seeing Jesus out on the water, makes a request to join Him. The prayer request had been made. As Peter precedes to walk out on water, he gets distracted by the chaotic winds, becomes afraid, and begins to sink into the water. He cries out to the Lord to save him. Jesus saves him, and they both safely return to the boat to rejoin the other disciples. When they return to the boat, the other disciples make a bold declaration stating that Jesus is indeed who He says He is. “Truly you are the Son of God.” (Matthew 14:33 NIV).
With the above song lyrics and verses in mind, here are a few key takeaways for our personal lifeboats of prayer requests, faith walks, and unexpected winds and encounters:
1. Like Peter, when making our initial prayer request from the boat, we need to first fix our eyes on Jesus and the fact that he is capable of what we are asking. Remember that He has already gone out on the water before Peter and the disciples. And He goes out on the water before us.
2. Like Peter, when setting out to do new things for the first time (i.e. walking on water), they will require new ways for us to view God, trust God, and call out to him in our time of need. More than likely, new things may also bring news feelings of discomfort, worry, or fear. Don’t allow these feelings to discourage you. As you can recall from the above passage, He intends to help us navigate new things like walking on water and rescue us whenever we feel like we’re sinking.
3. Like Peter, when making it back to the boat (or our intended destination), we will come to know that our answered prayer and His power at work in our lives wasn’t only for us. It was for others to witness the power, grace, and glory of the Father too.
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