This week in our chapel group we talked about dealing with the stresses and struggles that we all encounter in life. Our discussion centered around Bible passages that people find helpful during such times. Whenever I have stressful times or talk with someone who is in the midst of a storm, I like to read the psalms. This week, I kept meditating on verse one of Psalm 123:1. The psalmist writes:

Psalm 123:1 To You I lift up my eyes, O You who are enthroned in the heavens!

This psalm is one of the psalms which is called a “Song of Ascents.” It is a song which was written to be sung by God’s faithful as they journeyed to the temple in Jerusalem to worship the Lord at one of the appointed feast times. The song was meant to help people prepare their hearts and their minds for worship by having the right perspective. “To You, I lift up my eyes, O You who are enthroned in the heavens!”

I love this verse because it reminds me of our need to maintain a right and healthy perspective. Too often as we journey through life, we can become overwhelmed by stressful situations and difficult circumstances. During such times, it can be far too easy to allow our situations and circumstances to command all of our focus, attention, and energy in an unhealthy way and cause us to lose a proper perspective. And certainly, some things are urgent and should command our attention, but we should never let our circumstance cause us to take our eyes off of our Savior. This verse, and others like it, always remind me of the importance of having the right perspective, and looking to the Lord no matter what situation or circumstance we may find ourselves in.

I pray that this week, you (and me!) will keep our eyes on the Lord – despite any circumstance or situation that might tempt us to lose the proper perspective.