What are you looking at?

Have you ever seen a child with her chin down?

And then a parent comes and gently lifts her head so she looks up.

Our circumstances often drag us down, but the Lord gently applies pressure so we look up.

David says,

But you, LORD, are a shield around me,
    my glory, the One who lifts my head high (Psalm 3:3).

But what does the Lord want us to see by lifting our heads? Well, what does the parent want the child to see? The dad wants the child to see his face. Likewise, the Psalmist writes,

Look to the LORD and his strength;
    seek his face always (Psalm 105:4).

Notice that phrase “Look to the LORD.” In the same way, the book of Hebrews encourages us to fix our eyes on Jesus (Hebrews 12:2).

But why does God want us to look to him? Because when we do, we’ll be encouraged. When the child looks up and makes eye contact with her dad he says something like, “Look at me, it’s going to be okay.”

Listen to how David says it:

Those who look to him are radiant;
    their faces are never covered with shame (Psalm 34:5).

So if you’re looking down, look to the Lord and be encouraged.

Les Bridgeman

After graduating from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, I served as a high school Bible teacher in Asia. I enjoy traveling, writing, and playing the drums. My latest book focuses on Paul’s work as a tentmaker and what it means for today.