When you choose to focus on God’s perspective of your problems instead of your view of the negative situations you find yourself in, you will see that you gain a different perspective that gives you hope. God seems so far away…If only I could see him or hear him. Have you ever felt this way? Maybe you are struggling with something, burdened by hopelessness, riddled with guilt, or overwhelmed by problems? When you go to a baseball game, you sit in an area where you will have the best view of the game. You know that sitting behind home plate helps you see the game from a different perspective than if you were sitting off in a distance in the right or left field. What lens are you viewing life from right now-your lens or how God see’s your problems?
God Looks at Our Problems Differently Than We Do
Like Moses, it is easy to focus on our weaknesses, but who better to turn to than God to help you. He will help you get the job done. We can trust that God will provide strength, courage, and the ability when needed
Hope Comes From Seeing God’s Perspective
Unlike the Israelites, you can choose to keep your hope in God when you experience hardships or when everyday life experiences overwhelm you. When you keep your hope in God despite your suffering, you are showing God you understand his merciful ways of relating to his people. Are you viewing life from God’s perspective or your own lens?
God’s Perspective Versus Human Perspective
Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. “Never, Lord!” he said. “This shall never happen to you!”
Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.”
Great temptations can come from those who love you and seek to protect you from discomfort. You see that Peter had human concerns in mind instead of the concerns of God. Satan is always trying to get us to leave God out of the picture. Jesus rebuked Peter for this attitude. Peter had to choose between God’s intentions and Satan’s.
Like Peter, you face the same choice. When you don’t know Jesus, you make choices as though there is no afterlife. In reality, the life you live now is just the introduction to eternity. How you live during this brief span determines your eternal state. What you accumulate on earth has no value in gaining eternal life. Evaluate your lifestyle from an eternal perspective, and you will find your values and decisions changing. Think about how you can approach God.
How Can You Approach God?
When God seems so far away when you are struggling, burdened with hopelessness, riddled with guilt, or overwhelmed by your problems, remember that you were made in God’s image. You were created to have a close relationship with him. When fellowship is broken, you are incomplete and in need of restoration. Communion with the living God is the essence of worship. It is vital, touching the very core of your life. How can you approach God? First, sin must be dealt with. True worship and oneness with God begin as you confess your sin and accept Jesus as the only one who can redeem you from sin and help you approach God. Reflect and ask yourself, what characteristics of Moses, the Israelites, or Peter do you see in yourself? What is the message God has for you and all of his people?
Your friend in Christ,
