Pick up your head!

"For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts.” – (Isaiah 55:9)

What is happening to America? What transpired yesterday and this past year is not surprising though it may be unprecedented it is no surprise. If you have been watching, you have seen the warning signs and now we have reached a boiling point. Hate and division are on the rise and we're all in the pressure cooker together.  

As a nation we have lost our moral compass. We no longer know right from wrong. There is a cloud of confusion that has descended on our nation. As I write this post, I am seeing the blame game elevate to a whole new level. Everyone is looking to blame someone else for the atrocities they see. The whole-time people are looking to make sense of what is going on around them and within them, but there are seemingly no answers to be found. 

The bible speaks of such things, a great delusion, the hardening of man’s heart one against another (Matt 24: 12; 2 Tim 3:1-5). The truth is when man ignores God’s ways and pursues his own ideals, his own lusts in due time there will certainly be a predictable outcome (Prov 14:12). 

So, with an ongoing health crisis, social unrest, political corruption, and foreign enemies crouching at our door how shall we live? 

When I was a young man growing up, I remember my father telling me (on more than one occasion), “Son, pick up your head.” I guess I had a bad habit of walking around with my head down. Though I didn’t understand what my father was saying at the time, I do now. I had formed a bad habit of walking around with my head down. 

It’s true, we all have bad habits and not all of them are obvious to us. The same can be said for the Christian. In times of crisis, we must remember to keep our focus on the LORD. In other words, “Pick up your head.” 

The bible reminds us, 

“I lift up my eyes to the hills — where does my help come from? 2 My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth. (Ps 121:1,2)

If we are “lifting up our eyes”, then our focus will be on God not this temporal chaotic world we live in. Why would any of us want to get fixated on a world that is ever-changing. God’s ways are so much greater! 

So, here are some ways we can focus on God and, “Keep your head up!” 

     1. Live in God’s Word 

Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path- (Ps 119:105)

The more time you spend in God’s Word the less you will be influenced by the world and its philosophies (Col 2:8). Make God’s Word a priority and let it shape you into who God has called you to be. The bible is filled with promises of hope. Meditate on the living Word and you will be supernaturally changed and more Christ like.      

     2. Praise God (from whom all blessings flow)

Oh come, let us sing to the LORD! Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation. 2 Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving; Let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms. 3 For the LORD is the great God, And the great King above all gods. (Ps 95:1-3)

When you praise God, you are lifted above your current circumstances and enveloped in God’s presence. The bible says that God inhabits the praise of His people and He comes close to the broken hearted (Ps 34:18). Determine to be one who praises God even in the midst of the storm.

      3. Be a light bearer. 

Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, "I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life." (John 8:12) 

"You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.  15 Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.  16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” (Matt 5:14-16) 

The world is searching, and Jesus is the answer. He is the light of the world. So, let the light of Jesus shine through you. That doesn’t mean that everyone will agree with you or like what you have to say. Jesus tells us that some will be repulsed by the gospel, but the call remains the same. Let your light so shine. 

There is much more I would love to share, and I am sure I will in God’s time. Until then keep your head up. Focus your eyes and heart on Jesus and you will never be disappointed.