I love taking pictures of clouds. In fact, the other morning, dressed in my jammies, I went out and crawled up on the flatbed of the truck so I could get a good shot of the sunrise.
Dave used to tease that I would probably be taking pictures of the clouds on the day the Lord returns and splits the sky! Oh, I hope so, that would be an amazing photo!
But, while I am always looking up at the skyline, many think that we as Christians have our heads buried in the sand like an ostrich, afraid to see things as they really are.
Not true! Our heads aren’t in the sand, they are in the sky. When our focus is up, we can be in perfect peace even in the worst circumstances.
Peace – perfect peace!
Looking at things the way the rest of the world does blurs the truth and causes you to “try” to fix things by ourselves. Being self-centered is a true recipe for disaster. Being God-centered is a place of peace and rest.
“Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee. 4 Trust ye in the Lord for ever: for in the Lord Jehovah is everlasting strength:” Isaiah 26:3-4 KJV
“The Lord gives perfect peace to those whose faith is firm. 4 So always trust the Lord because he is forever our mighty rock.” Isaiah 26:3-4CEV
Looking up has been an analogy for salvation throughout the Bible. In Moses day, the Israelites were dying in the desert because of an outbreak of snakes in their midst. This is what the Lord had Moses do.
“Then the Lord said to Moses, “Make a fiery serpent, and set it on a pole; and it shall be that everyone who is bitten, when he looks at it, shall live.” Numbers 21:8 NKJV
Hundreds of years later, Jesus made reference to that very same incident when He was talking with Nicodemus, the man who came to Him at night, asking about salvation.
“ And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. 16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” John 3:14-16 NKJV
We followers of Christ have a hope for the future that others do not have. We must remember where our strength and peace come from.
“Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. 3 For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.” Colossians 3:2-3 NKJV
Keep looking up dear friends – that’s where our help comes from!