Eyes on the Prize
Where is your focus?
Eyes on the prize.
A couple of years ago, we were at Cumberland Lake in Kentucky for a fishing tournament. Being the avid walker that I am, I always try to find a place to walk while we are away from home. Since we were staying lakeside, I took advantage of walking down the endless stairs to the water’s edge. It is always a special treat for me to be able to find a spot to sit in the sun, and those spots were rare along the bank of the lake on the side where I was. The sun was especially desired this day because the temperature was only in the thirties. The banks there are very steep and the water was very low, so by the time I reached the water, I was too deep in a hole to still be in the sunshine.
But low and behold! There was a picnic table out on the pier at the end of the steps that I had walked down, and it was in the sun!!! I was so excited. Then I began to look at the exact path to get to that table. Because the water was so low, the normal boardwalk did not reach to the pier. It had been extended by some more boards then a flat piece of metal laid down over the gap.
My focus was on steep banks and deep water.
Now I began to assess the situation. There were no hand rails, and it was somewhat narrow as normal walkways go. As I mentioned, I was way down in a hole and it was unlikely that there would have been anyone to hear had I called for help. Tony did not know where I was because when I left our cabin, I really had no idea where I was going since I knew nothing about where we were. I was well aware of how steep the banks were, so I knew that the water would be very deep even just the few feet off shore that I would be navigating. I was quickly making all these assessments because I cannot swim. If I had any kind of misstep, I would fall into deep, freezing water with no one to help me. At that point, I was no longer looking at that beautiful prize of a picnic table out in the sun! I was now being consumed with thoughts of steep banks, deep water, being alone, and the fact that I cannot swim. Fear was wanting to dominate my thoughts.
It was at this point that God spoke to me and said why don’t you just keep your focus on the prize – on where you want to be – instead of looking at the steep banks and deep water? Wow! What a wake-up call. But isn’t that how we try to live our lives? We look at all the negative things around us – which will always be there – and we lose sight of where we are going. Fear runs rampant when our eyes are focused on the wrong things. Thankfully, I got the message that day. I looked back up at the only sunny spot anywhere around and knew that was where I wanted to be. I regained my focus, navigated the path before me, was quickly on the other side, and was rewarded with a wonderful time of meditation while sitting in the sun at that picnic table.
We look at things around us instead of what is ahead.
Just like my looking at the wrong things that day, we too often look at the circumstances around us or behind us instead of looking at where we are headed. It is impossible for our faith to grow if we are focusing on the deep water and steep banks.
Proverbs 4:25 says, “Let your eyes look directly forward, and your gaze be straight before you.” If you want to arrive where you are going, your focus has to be in the right place. To allow your faith to grow to the point where it will defeat the fear in your life, you must examine what you are looking at. Most of us have voices in our heads that try to influence our behavior. Which voices are you listening to? Are you listening to the ones telling you the banks are steep and the water is deep, or are you listening to the ones telling you how peaceful it will be on the other side? God’s word and God’s voice are not going to be the ones pointing out the obstacles in our way. His voice will be the one telling you of His power, His greatness, and His sufficiency.
Our part is to keep our eyes focused on Him.
You may remember Matthew’s account of Peter walking on water (14:22-31) (CSB):
Immediately he [Jesus] made the disciples get into the boat and go ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. After dismissing the crowds, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray. Well into the night, he was there alone. Meanwhile, the boat was already some distance from land, battered by the waves, because the wind was against them. Jesus came toward them walking on the sea very early in the morning. When the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified. “It’s a ghost!” they said, and they cried out in fear. Immediately Jesus spoke to them. “Have courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” “Lord, if it’s you,” Peter answered him, “command me to come to you on the water.” He said, “Come.” And climbing out of the boat, Peter started walking on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the strength of the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, “Lord, save me!” Immediately Jesus reached out his hand, caught hold of him, and said to him, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?”
There are a couple of things worth noting here. The first thing is that the disciples’ first response to seeing Jesus walking on the water was fear, but Jesus told them to take courage and not be afraid. He immediately dealt with their fear. Having been inspired by this admonition, Peter then asked Jesus to let him walk on the water. Jesus told Peter to come on. Now, we have to give Peter credit for having the faith to get out of the boat. I’m not sure I would have. Lol! Then we see something happen. Peter takes his eyes off Jesus and begins noticing how strong the wind is. When he changes his focus, he begins to sink. Of course, Jesus was right there to reach out and save him. And Jesus is always right there for us. We may not know how He is going to save us, and we may not know exactly when He will save us, but we can have faith that He will save us.
Our part is to keep our eyes focused on Him. As we do that, our faith will grow stronger and stronger, and fear will find less and less place in our lives. Welcome to the “Blessing Road.”
GUARD RAIL: Keep your eyes focused on the goal.
But when he saw the strength of the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, “Lord, save me!” Immediately Jesus reached out his hand, caught hold of him, and said to him, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?”
Matthew 14:30-31 (CSB)