Focus

Recently in my Bible studies, I was reading in II Kings 18-19. I don’t usually write about my devotions….it’s a little out of my comfort zone – but wow, King Hezekiah really faced some HUGE challenges! (Check it out, if you have time and are interested. Here’s a link.) The king of Assyria was threatening to take over Jerusalem – and he had the means to accomplish just that. It would bring an end to the way of life that King Hezekiah and his people knew. It appeared that Assyria could easily conquer Hezekiah and his forces no matter what they did. But – King Hezekiah focused his eyes on the Lord and put his priority and his trust in Him. God through his prophet Isaiah assured him that Assyria would be defeated – and against all odds, it was. God’s people could look forward to better days….and I think we can too.

What we focus on – what we devote our attention to throughout our days – matters so much! It affects everything we do. In many cases, I think our focus (what we give our attention to) determines our choices, our direction, and even our outcomes.

When reading the story in Matthew 14 of Jesus walking on the water (Here’s a link.), I have to wonder what caused Peter to want to get out of the boat and onto those stormy, crashing waves. His situation, it seems, was very dire. It had to be terrifying to be in that boat on the dark, stormy lake in the middle of the night – but to me it sounds much more frightening to hop out of that boat into the middle of the raging storm – the storm that was threatening his life and the lives of those around him. I think I would have wanted to stay put – but not Peter.

Was he motivated by the amazement of seeing Jesus walking on the water? Was it simply solid, strong faith? Was it perhaps an overwhelming awareness of the presence of God in the flesh before him? I believe, whatever the motivation, it still took great courage to step out onto the raging water – and he did it. He actually walked on the water….and as long as Peter kept his eyes, his primary attention, focused on the Lord, his steps were sure. Only when he looked down, when he shifted his focus to the waves – the storms, the stresses, and the troubles around him – did he begin to flounder and fail. Even then, Jesus was there to lift Peter out of the waves and take him back to safety.

In that same way, it seems that we need to keep our eyes, our thoughts, and our attentions focused on Jesus. This doesn’t mean we completely ignore all of the daily trials around us, but that we work to put things into a prioritized perspective. When Jesus is our primary focus, we experience peace.

My cousin recently asked me for my favorite Bible verse – and even though there are so many wonderful, powerful verses in the Bible (John 3:16, for example), I easily answered her with my favorite for many years, Philippians 4:8. It has a great message about choosing what you give your attention to – and it has meant a lot to me throughout my life. You see, I’m actually a natural born worrier. I can very easily see the negative side of things, the bad things that could happen in most situations, and the ways I could fail instead of succeed. I can be very hard on myself – and at the end of the day I can often think of the ways I could have done things better instead of focusing on the positives. I often get sad or depressed when I see people who are hurting or when I myself get hurt – and if I let myself these thoughts can dominate my attention. That’s why this verse has long been a game changer for me – and one I remind myself of almost daily. It’s definitely not always easy to redirect the focus of my thoughts; it takes effort – but it always works, and I am always encouraged. I hope it is an encouragement to you as well.

Philippians 4:4-8

(New Living Translation)

4 Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again—rejoice! 5 Let everyone see that you are considerate in all you do. Remember, the Lord is coming soon.[c]

6 Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all He has done. 7 Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.

8 And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. 9 Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me—everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you.

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