Shift your focus

Good morning, everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Just keep dancing”

Our Bible verse for today: “I am certain that I will see the Lord’s goodness in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be strong and let your heart be courageous. Wait for the Lord.” Psalm 27:13-14 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “Shift your focus”

Yesterday I told you the story of my old friend Bob, the man who had a terrible accident as a teenager and ended up spending his entire adult life as quadriplegic. Bob made the decision that instead of focusing on his terrible circumstances and the difficulties of life as a quadriplegic, he was instead going to look for and find the goodness of God in the middle of it all, and he would stay focused on that.

Tim Hansel had a similar experience, as recorded in his book “You Gotta Keep Dancin”. After his accident Tim made an entry in his journal that said sometimes it felt like he was in a walking coma. The pain, the drugs, the awful realization that his life had changed forever, all of it combined to create a fog in his mind that was difficult to break through. Just as with Bob, Tim discovered that he had to force himself to focus on God instead of on his circumstances. When he did that, things began to come into focus for him and like Bob, Tim went on to live a productive and victorious life despite his limitations and challenges.

In addition to all the inspiring examples, like Bob and Tim that we see around us every day, we find similar stories in the Bible. Job was a man who suffered terribly. For reasons he couldn’t begin to comprehend he lost his children, his wealth, his health, and his influence. In short order he went from being a healthy and wealthy man who was admired and respected by all, to sitting in dust and ashes amidst the rubble of his life. In the middle of it all he famously declared, “But I know that my Redeemer lives, and in the end, he will stand on the dust. Even after my skin has been destroyed, yet I will see God in my flesh.” Job 19:25-26

Psalm 27 is also a great passage of assurance and confidence, this one written by King David. In it he writes about the threat of adversaries and adversities, of evildoers and of enemies. He starts the Psalm in verse one with the rhetorical questions, “The Lord is my light and my salvation – whom should I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life – whom should I dread?” Then for eleven verses he writes about a series of potential threats and challenges, finally concluding in verses 13 and 14, “I am certain that I will see the Lord’s goodness in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be strong and let your heart be courageous. Wait for the Lord.” Psalm 27:13-14

Who or what are you fearing today? I encourage you to shift your focus from your circumstances to your God.

God bless,
Pastor Jim

(If you like what you are reading in these daily devotionals and if you would like more content from Oak Hill Baptist Church, join us on Sundays at 10:00 – in-person if you are nearby or, if you are geographically distant or if you just can’t make it, online at www.YouTube.com/@oakhillbaptistcrossville

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