Recognizing Him

Recently, I have been so distracted. I have been balking at a writing project that really needs some fine tuning, ministries that have been on my heart to undertake, some opportunities that I felt the Lord was calling me away from that broke my heart. It was as if I was running amok.

In my walk of faith there have been times when I take my eyes off our Lord and stumble. This week has been like that. Bills piled up, decisions needed to be made, not to mention housework and… I hate to say the word… but… taxes had to be filed. Yuck! I got so distracted that my prayer times faltered, my attention was flitting around like a firefly and I felt lost and nervous. And where was my God-focus? Who knows?

Then, my sweet friend Jean told me as she was reading her Bible, when, out of the blue, she heard my name at Proverbs 4:25: “Let your eyes look directly forward, and your gaze be straight before you. Take heed to the path of your feet, then all your ways will be sure. Do not swerve to the right or left.” She told me the Lord was calling me to stay focused.

Last Sunday the readings had to do with the risen Christ meeting up with the apostles on the way to Emmaus. Somehow they couldn’t recognize him even though their hearts were burning as he read scripture. Have you ever had that happen? You are so wrapped up in scripture that your heart burns? You feel God’s presence speaking to your soul as if it was written for you alone. You marvel, you contemplate and wonder how? Then you have a week like mine, when all is goofy. Like the apostles, you can’t see God even though he is right in front of you.

I heard it said once that our spiritual life ebbs and flows. We draw close to the Lord only to slide away, pulled out to sea by a riptide of problems, hurt feelings and circumstances.

Then we cry out to God for comfort and closeness and he pulls us in and consoles our scattered minds and hearts. You swear to yourself you’ll never slide again. Then in the next ten minutes there you are falling face forward swept away by an undertow of dilemmas and emotions that pull you into the depths of despair.

Such, so they say, is the human condition. At these times we need to first find where we hid our focus, then give our attention back to God who is so much greater than our inept ability to understand his love for us. We have to grapple with Scripture that calls us beloved ones of God. Even in our struggles – especially when we struggle – he is right along side of us. Why? Because Scripture tells us that a contrite and broken heart he will never spurn. No, he doesn’t spurn; he sends a friend with a wink and a sparkling smile to say: “The Lord wants you to remain focused.”

“Let us approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” (Hebrews 4:16)