lifting my eyes

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Have you ever been so overwhelmingly worn down and burnt out?

Well…

I’m there.

And I’m sure you’ve been there too – in fact, I know you’ve been. But, right now, I feel like I’m at the bottom of a lonely well and I can’t find a way to climb out of it. My head is spinning and all I want to do is wave the white flag – surrender and lay down in defeat. But defeat is simply not an option. It never has been.

I could write hundreds words describing why I’m feeling this way and I could easily sing my little whoa-is-me song about this season in my life, but that’s not useful nor is it really important because we all have something (or some things) – we all have our obstacle courses, stumbling blocks, and piles of junk that we need to wade through. The trials and tribulations, the stressors, and the hardships we endure make up the mucky areas of our lives and can be so defeating. Lately I’ve been really considering how we trudge through it all and make it to the other side in one piece and I keep returning to the same answer time after time… we need to lift our eyes.

Psalm 12:1-2 says, “I lift my eyes to the mountains – where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.” When my eyes remain downcast, my troubles seem to get heavier and the weight gets harder to carry and it’s as if I’m trying to walk through quick sand. Yet, when I look towards heaven and lean upon my Heavenly Father, the weight becomes bearable and instead of struggling against the sand, my feet are eager to move forward. When I cry out to God, He answers my prayers. Not in ways that I expect, but in perfect timing and in His glorious manner. It might be through a friend’s encouraging words, something someone posts on Facebook, a blog post, a hug, a song on the radio… the list goes on. It’s all from God – every push forward, every high-five, every sparkle that shines during the darkest of times. My troubles may not disappear – in fact, they often don’t, but He answers my pleas for help and I come out in one piece. I survive and am better for it.

So, my friends, whatever you may be facing today, please rest assured that God is still God and if you lift your eyes, He will meet you there – in fact, I bet He’s waiting for you.

The following is an excerpt from a song that has held a lot of meaning for me lately – in every season, God is there. I find a lot of peace in that and I hope you do too.

{Hillsong, Desert Song}

This is my prayer in the desert
When all that’s within me feels dry
This is my prayer in my hunger and need
My God is the God who provides

And this is my prayer in the fire
In weakness or trial or pain
There is a faith proved of more worth than gold
So refine me Lord through the flame

I will bring praise, I will bring praise
No weapon formed against me shall remain
I will rejoice, I will declare
God is my victory and He is here

This is my prayer in the battle
When triumph is still on its way
I am a conqueror and co-heir with Christ
So firm on His promise I’ll stand

All of my life, in every season
You are still God
I have a reason to sing
I have a reason to worship

And this is my prayer in the harvest
When favor and providence flow
I know I’m filled to be emptied again
The seed I’ve received I will sow

photo credit: <a href=”https://www.flickr.com/photos/dexxus/8218869374/”>paul bica</a> via <a href=”http://photopin.com”>photopin</a> <a href=”http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/”>cc</a>

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lifting my eyes

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