Have you grown tired of hearing how bad things are–who is sleeping with whom, how the kids have gone to the devil, how corrupt government is, and how things are on a downhill slide? The evening news has degenerated into a daily crime report. It isn’t that you want to withdraw or hibernate in a cloister where bad news never penetrates.
The problem is that we already know things are pretty bad. We know marriages are in trouble. We know that the world is on a downturn towards Armageddon. Sometimes going to church may not help much, either.
Our heart cries out, "Lord, I’m tired of looking at the dirt. "I’m tired of hearing about the problems. I want a new glimpse of You. I’d like to see through the clouds and behold Your face."
Do you remember Isaiah’s encounter with God? Things were pretty tough in his day as well. The king had died. The ten tribes of northern Israel had fallen to the sword of the Assyrians and had been taken away in captivity. The economy was in shambles, and yet he wrote, "I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of His robe filled the temple" (Isaiah 6:1).
It is the upward look which gives you perspective. This, in turn, helps you navigate through stormy seas, and helps you realize that the filth and the garbage which occupy much of the news is a symptom of a sickness in our world. The Bible describes this sickness as sin, and its cure is the grace of God.
You may find a few coins when you constantly walk with your head down, but you won’t find the stars reflected in the mud. It takes an upward look, a renewed focus on God, to find hope and help. You must let the light penetrate the gloom. And light surely won’t come through the top of your heart when your face is pressed to the ground. When Paul wrote to Titus, he wrote of waiting, "For the blessed hope–the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ" (Titus 2:13).
So turn off the TV, throw out your newspaper and get away from the noise and clutter. Take an upward look. I’m convinced that God is far more willing to let you see His face than you might think. And believe me, as Fanny Crosby wrote, "One glimpse of His dear face, all sorrow will erase; so bravely run the race, till we see Christ."
Resource Reading: Isaiah 6:1-13