Have you ever been shown a series of images and asked what do you see? What was your response? Did you see anything? Was the experience difficult or interesting?
If someone were to ask you about our world, “What do you see,” what would you say? If you were asked, what do you see in our country today, what would be your response? Perhaps many would say, “I see chaos. Things are a mess.” Maybe others would say: “Things are going good. Great job so far.” The responses to that question may vary depending on the persons whom you might ask. The truth is, so much of what we see in anything is the result of what we have been culturally conditioned to see. It is fascinating how much power our cultural conditioning has on how we see things.
What we see and how we see things in our lives, and in the world, is important. It is powerful and has a lot more impact on us than we might imagine. It affects what we believe, what we do, and how we live. Matthew 6:22-23 state, “The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light. But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!”
Each one of us has unique perspectives on how we see things, and it is difficult for us to see things through another person’s eyes. We are not bigger than our vision. What we see may be the limit of where we can go. Our location is also very crucial. The man on a mountain top will have a broader view of his environment than the man in the valley. Imagine how different our lives and country would be if we speak what we want to see. That was what God did. He spoke things into existence. He spoke what He wanted to see.
Hebrews 11:27 states that it is possible to see the invisible through faith. So, we need to activate our faith. It is time for us to discover the dynamics of faith and learn how it is released when we speak what we want to see, and not what we see currently.
What do you see? What do you want to see? How is your vision? Faith has everything to do with what you believe in your heart and therefore speak. Start speaking God’s blessings into our lives instead of curses. Let us take our eyes off man and focus on God. When we are unable to see in the midst of our darkness, let us focus our eyes on God.
The story of Bartimaeus is one of the greatest stories in the New Testament. This story is found in St. Luke 18. Take time out and read it. It is a lesson to us about how to live our lives under the leadership of Jesus Christ – to be led by the Holy Spirit of God and be shaped by Him. This story powerfully displays how to trust God when you cannot see a thing. Bartimaeus was a blind man seated by the road. When Jesus appeared on the scene things changed. There is no problem that God cannot fix. Nothing is impossible for him.
Hearing a multitude passing by, Bartimaeus asked what it meant. So, they told him that Jesus of Nazareth was passing by. And he cried out, saying, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” Then those who went before warned him that he should be quiet; but he cried out all the more: “Son of David, have mercy on me!” So, Jesus stood still and commanded him to be brought to Him. And when Bartimaeus had come near, Jesus asked him, saying, “What do you want Me to do for you?” Bartimaeus said, “Lord, that I may receive my sight.” Then Jesus said to him, “Receive your sight; your faith has made you well.” And immediately Bartimaeus received his sight, and followed Jesus, glorifying God. And all the people, when they saw it, gave praise to God.
This story brings to mind the sense of absolute helplessness when you cannot see a thing. It begins by mentioning Bartimaeus, a blind man begging by the side of the road. That is the position of any one of us when we cannot see ahead. You know you do not have the resources necessary to navigate. You cannot see how you are going to get through it. The odds are great. You are facing a very dark or trying circumstance. But my friends, it does not have to be dismal. It depends on how you are looking on your circumstances – the position from which you are viewing it and who you are focusing on.
There are things in our lives and in our country that we may just be trying to figure out. It can be looking grim. It can be looking scary. We cannot see how the situation will be navigated, or how it can change, but we need to change our perspective and our position and look in the right direction. Bartimaeus saw Jesus as a merciful healer. What do you see?
Another story that is applicable is that of the spies that Moses sent to spy out the land of Canaan. They did well, reporting all they saw. They adhered to their terms of reference. Ten of them brought back an evil report, focused too much on the strength of the inhabitants, their walled cities and the giants who lived there. As they dwelt on this, they forgot the Lord their God who had fought and won their battles – and suddenly they began to shrink and became like grasshoppers. The other two spies saw things differently. One of them – Caleb said, “Let us go now and take possession of the land. We should be more than able to conquer it.”
You see, if you concentrate on your problems, God will become insignificant. That problem will become magnified, faith will vanish and over a period of time you will be swallowed up by your difficulties. All they could see were the obstacles and not the victory. What do you see? It may seem like the odds are against us, but God is not against us. He wants us to change our focus and perspective and look to Him. We can overcome those things and claim the victory while trusting in Him.
Maybe there are times in our lives, just as it was for Bartimaeus and the spies, when we cannot really see what God is doing. We listen to the media, or read the newspaper, and maybe we come away thinking we are losing rather than gaining ground. God wants us to see or remind us that He is with us. He will never forsake us. That He is watching over His Word to accomplish it. We can trust Him. That nothing is impossible for Him. Nothing is too hard for Him to do.
We need to recognise Him. We need to seek Him. We need to serve Him. We need to have courage. Sometimes it is as though we are so defeated, we have lost our courage. We need to get up and reaffirm ourselves in God. Stand up, and do not be intimidated by what we see. We must trust God’s Sovereign Control. God is watching over us.
Let us come into agreement with The Psalmist and say, “I will lift up my eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help.” From today, when confronted by problems, let us take them to God in prayer. Let us lift up our gaze above the problems and to God, the great problem solver – Jehovah Jireh. Let us keep on magnifying and praising God, expecting Him to act on our behalf.
How we see God counts for how God is able to work in our lives, so it is important for us to see God clearly. My friends, what you see depends on your vision, on your position, and who you are looking at. It is time to get a new and different perspective. It is time to put your focus on God. Instead of magnifying the problems, magnify God.
Remember: Humans see what they want to see. It is all in the mind. If you are thankful for what you have, you will end up having more. If you concentrate on what you do not have, you will never, ever, have enough.
About the Author: Mrs. Marilyn Hodge owns and operates the Wellness Centre in the Farrington, Anguilla. The Centre offers Counselling Services by Appointment Only and has now published Positive Living Volume 3. Contact information: 476-3517 or email: marilynb@anguillanet.com. www.facebook.com/axawellnesscentre.
