Keeping Our Eyes on Jesus

“…and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith…” Hebrews 12: 1-2

Many years ago, a wise elder of a local church told me to “keep my eyes on Jesus.” At the time, I couldn’t imagine why he was giving me that advice, as I really didn’t have any troubles to speak of. Also, keeping my eyes on Jesus didn’t sound like such a difficult thing. Little did I know that for anyone struggling through a trial—especially a disease like cancer—keeping one’s eyes on Jesus is a constant battle.  So many other items vie for our attention. We look at our tumor markers, our red and white blood cell counts, our platelets, the statistics about our disease, even the trials of the other patients suffering with us. We hang on every word from our oncologist. We devour every new abstract that is published. We are always trying to evaluate our odds. Keeping our eyes on Jesus requires discipline and a great amount of time in prayer and in the Word. But what happens when we DO keep our eyes on our Savior? For me, it means that I filter everything through Him. If I receive disturbing news, I remember that He is between me and the problem. When I push Him aside and look at the problem head-on, it seems enormous, but when I slide Him back into place and look at Him first, the problem seems so much smaller. Nothing is too big, too scary, or too difficult for Him. He’s completely prepared for it, and definitely not surprised by it. I pray for the strength to let Him take it over, and—the most difficult part—I try to not micromanage. He doesn’t need my help, and He will bring all the people, medicine, and any other ammunition to the right place at just the right time. Instead of asking, “Why, Lord?” I try to ask, “What is Your plan for this, Lord? How are you going to use this problem? How will you solve it? What good is going to come from it? How can I be used so that I don’t miss the blessings?” I remember that His thoughts are so much higher than my thoughts, and His ways so much greater than mine. By keeping our eyes on Him we can experience calm during the storm, much as the apostle Peter did while he walked on the stormy sea toward his Savior.

Jesus, help me to constantly remember to keep my eyes on You. When I am about to witness bad news, enable my eyes to see that You are between the problem and myself. Help me to see how much greater You are, how capable You are, how trustworthy You are. You’re not confused about what to do, nor are You unprepared. Thank You for surrounding me, protecting me, and carrying me to safety.