June 9th, 2026
Where do you fix your gaze these days? We can look down, look back, look around, or we can look up.
When we are discouraged, defeated, depressed, we tend to look down. If you find yourself looking down, consider what David repeated three times in Psalm 42 and 43. “Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.”
When we carry shame, regret, or start dreaming of the ‘good ole days’ we find ourselves looking back. When you get tired of turning around to see what is behind you, remember what Paul said, “Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead” (Philippians 3:13).
When we face threats, making comparisons, or living discontented lives, we spend a lot of time looking around. We begin the search for something more to this life. Listen to the words of David, “I lift up my eyes to the mountains—where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth” (Psalm 121:1-2).
In fact, that is always the answer for looking down, looking back, and looking around. From the lowest pit of despair, from the paralysis of being stuck in the past, and from the constant craving for more, the solution is the same, we need to look up.
The Bible consistently points our eyes vertically. Moses learned this as he led Israel. David looked beyond the armies of men to the angel armies of God. When Daniel’s prayers became a criminal act, he went back to his room, opened his window, and prayed to God as he had always done.
One of the best reminders is found in 2 Chronicles 20. King Jehoshaphat and Judah were threatened by the combined forces of three different nations. They are outnumbered, and he prayed to God, “We have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you” (2 Chronicles 20:12).
God assured him that there was no need to fear. “The battle is not yours, but God’s.” In fact, they wouldn’t even have to fight this battle.
Stop and think about that for a minute. Is there a battle you are trying to fight in your own strength? Trust God and let him do the heavy lifting. You may not have to lift a finger to see a resolution.
In Jehoshaphat’s story, God set an ambush for the three kings. (Possibly an angel army.) All of the three nations turned on each other and totally destroyed themselves.
All Judah had to do is go out and collect the plunder. There was so much it took three days to gather it all.
God knows what threatens you. He knows the helplessness you sometimes feel. And He has more than enough power to handle it.
Look up! Lift your eyes to God.
Tell Him about the enemy you are facing.
Trust Him to give you the victory.
Rejoicing in a God we can look up too!
Blessings,
Pastor David
When we are discouraged, defeated, depressed, we tend to look down. If you find yourself looking down, consider what David repeated three times in Psalm 42 and 43. “Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.”
When we carry shame, regret, or start dreaming of the ‘good ole days’ we find ourselves looking back. When you get tired of turning around to see what is behind you, remember what Paul said, “Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead” (Philippians 3:13).
When we face threats, making comparisons, or living discontented lives, we spend a lot of time looking around. We begin the search for something more to this life. Listen to the words of David, “I lift up my eyes to the mountains—where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth” (Psalm 121:1-2).
In fact, that is always the answer for looking down, looking back, and looking around. From the lowest pit of despair, from the paralysis of being stuck in the past, and from the constant craving for more, the solution is the same, we need to look up.
The Bible consistently points our eyes vertically. Moses learned this as he led Israel. David looked beyond the armies of men to the angel armies of God. When Daniel’s prayers became a criminal act, he went back to his room, opened his window, and prayed to God as he had always done.
One of the best reminders is found in 2 Chronicles 20. King Jehoshaphat and Judah were threatened by the combined forces of three different nations. They are outnumbered, and he prayed to God, “We have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you” (2 Chronicles 20:12).
God assured him that there was no need to fear. “The battle is not yours, but God’s.” In fact, they wouldn’t even have to fight this battle.
Stop and think about that for a minute. Is there a battle you are trying to fight in your own strength? Trust God and let him do the heavy lifting. You may not have to lift a finger to see a resolution.
In Jehoshaphat’s story, God set an ambush for the three kings. (Possibly an angel army.) All of the three nations turned on each other and totally destroyed themselves.
All Judah had to do is go out and collect the plunder. There was so much it took three days to gather it all.
God knows what threatens you. He knows the helplessness you sometimes feel. And He has more than enough power to handle it.
Look up! Lift your eyes to God.
Tell Him about the enemy you are facing.
Trust Him to give you the victory.
Rejoicing in a God we can look up too!
Blessings,
Pastor David
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