“The Next Spiritual Journey” Day 2: To go further, we must keep our eyes on Him.

“I will meditate on your precepts and fix my eyes on your ways. I will delight in your statutes; I will not forget your word. Deal bountifully with your servant, that I may live and keep your word. Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your law. I am a sojourner on the earth; hide not your commandments from me! My soul is consumed with longing for your rules at all times. You rebuke the insolent, accursed ones, who wander from your commandments.”

‭‭Psalm‬ ‭119‬:‭15‬-‭21‬ ‭ESV‬‬

It seems that one of the first things a toddler will do to assert their personhood, is to try to pull away from the protective hand of their parent. Well, any sane person knows that a toddler cannot be left to direct their own path. Indeed, they might run out into a road, fall off of a high place, or any other number of things that could lead to great injury or death. They do not have the ability to know what is best for them. Yet, they will sometimes throw fits to try to get their own way.

But what about us?

Oh, we’re all grown up; but don’t we pull those toddler stunts in our dealings with the Lord? Even though God created all that is, we often—whether consciously or unconsciously—buck up against the Lord, thinking that we somehow know better than He does. And, of course, we know that ends in disastrous results when we actually act on that impulse.

Consider this sad commentary from the Lord to His people:

“Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: “I am the Lord your God, who teaches you to profit, who leads you in the way you should go. Oh that you had paid attention to my commandments! Then your peace would have been like a river, and your righteousness like the waves of the sea; your offspring would have been like the sand, and your descendants like its grains; their name would never be cut off or destroyed from before me.””

‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭48‬:‭17‬-‭19‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Although the Lord had time and time again shown His care for His people, His direction was still often rejected. So, like that impetuous toddler, the people repeatedly wrestled themselves from His protective grip, running right out into destruction.

What we are referencing here as “The Next Spiritual Journey,” began with this invitation from the Lord:

“I want to take you to the next level of endurance, a place where you will see what you did not see, know what you did not know, and be able to do what you could not do. Come with Me there. I Am preparing your way; forces all around, beyond your ability to comprehend and know, have endeavored to keep you from this moment. But you will have this moment, because I have said it will be so. You have only to come. I will do the work. I have made the way; you will become what all this has been about.”

Last time we talked about the fact that we come to a point where the only way to escape personal agitation, confusion, frustration, and so on, is to move forward, allowing the Lord to direct us into and through our next challenge. Today, we note that going forward in our spiritual development, our spiritual journey, can only happen by keeping our eyes fixed on our Shepherd. We must not allow the “noise” in our living, to distract us from His wonderful face.

In our opening scripture, we see the psalmist expressing that his ultimate desire is for the Lord’s direction, his ultimate motivation comes from the Lord’s command. Notice that the psalmist asks the Lord, “Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your law.” He knew that wondrous revelation comes through meditation on the Lord’s commands. Indeed, God’s word illuminates all things we need to know, not just specific, so-called, “spiritual” issues.

Child of God, the Lord’s direction, the Lord’s word, opens up all truth to us. And through the work of Jesus Christ, we also have access to the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, Who Himself guides us into all truth.

No, we don’t know the way we should go, but the Lord does know and if we want to truly move forward we will keep our focus on Him by meditating on His word and seeking the guidance of His Holy Spirit. In doing so, we maintain our eye contact with Him, without which we can’t, we shouldn’t, attempt to go further on our journey.

“I know, O Lord, that the way of man is not in himself, that it is not in man who walks to direct his steps. Correct me, O Lord, but in justice; not in your anger, lest you bring me to nothing.”

‭‭Jeremiah‬ ‭10‬:‭23‬-‭24‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Peace to you.

Jesus is coming! Get ready for Him!