Setting our eyes on God (part 1)

Where is the meaning of life?

What is the purpose of us mere human beings?

Why do we try to find ourselves in others?

Is it possible for us to fight the very cells of our bodies, to go against the very destiny that's been set for us?

Who are we? And why are we? 

Why are we fighting for a meaning?

Why do we feel the need to matter? 

Hey!

Have you ever thought anything like that, or at least questioned yourself with one of those questions above?

I have also questioned myself with one or many of those questions. If you are like me, probably you didn’t have an answer either.

Well, these were the questions that a dear friend of mine shared with me. These questions kept coming back and forth and were bouncing in my head for a long, looong time. One day I shared some of them with another friend and he said – “WOW, hmm where to start?”  

I thought to myself, – “Man, anyone that could answer these questions would be actually answering the meaning, and the why of the human race!”

I had no idea where to start. I knew that we were made by God and for Him, but for some reason just knowing that stuff won’t make anyone to find the meaning, fulfillment and power that they want for their lives magically, not even to those so-called Christians who think they know God!

During a Journey that I took with the Lord to search my heart, one man shared something so shocking that opened my eyes to a whole new perspective! He asked -"When does fear come to my life?” (When fear comes then depression, anxiety and hate also come).

I thought to myself -"hmm. . . when something bad happened to me? At the same time everybody started to share their thoughts or what was their perspective about that question, then while we were saying all sorts of stupid ideas he said: -"when we take our eyes off from God!" It was hard for me to understand it at that moment since it was a new concept that I had never heard before yet for some reason it was making a lot of sense.

Let’s just think about it for a moment. Why most of us if not all of us are not afraid of getting our Ferrari or Lamborghini stolen, scratched, or wrecked?  That’s right, because we do not own one, we are not thinking what could happen to it, do I need a better insurance? Or stuff like that, these kind of thoughts stay just out of our minds. The opposite happens when we focus so much in “what I have,” “what I want,” “what I like” and all kinds of stuff related to “ME.” The result of being so focused on all these things means that the true main focus of ours is “Myself" then we will fear, instead of not being afraid.

The more focused that we are on what we want, the more afraid we will become. This applies to us, no matter who we are, what we do, where we live, what religion we are, or what we believe. If you don’t believe me just try to think of your worst fear and track it to its root, ask yourself why am I afraid of this or that. Trust me you’ll be amazed. Most of the time along with fear come anxiety, depression and so many other bad stresses. 

I am always trying to keep this principle very clear on my head, and not let it get blurry with time.

After pondering for a few days in the questions that we saw in the beginning of the post and this principle a lot of dots started to connect.  

Taking our eyes off from God doesn’t bring just fear, but also depression, forfeit, failure, etc.  These are things that more of the 98% of the world's population face every day, even Christians. But why? Why do we try to find ourselves in others? Why are we fighting against the very destiny that has been set for us? Who are we and why are we? What is the purpose of us mere human beings?

Talking to Dad

I was talking to my dad a couple of days ago about random stuff, so I decided that it was a good moment to bring this questions up, his answer amazed me, He said: -"I’m glad you asked that because the Lord was showing me something related to that, this morning and last week. 

Before telling you what my dad said, let’s try to create the worst scenario. This will help us a little bit more to understand all this stuff.

Let’s think about a guy. Now, let’s say that this fellow is rich and is super happy and has a big family, everything that anybody could wish, this guy had it! 

Now, let's be mean with this guy, let’s try to make him want to die! What do we need to do for this to happen? We have to take everything that this guy has! we can steal some of it, we can destroy it, burn it, etc.

Is this bad enough? Naah I don’t think so! Let’s do something more, Now, we can kill his sons and daughters ALL OF THEM AT THE SAME TIME. This is not good enough, our goal is to make him curse GOD! Let’s give him a decease so severe and painful that he would rather choose to never be born.   

If you were this guy right here, how would you feel? I think you would have more and harder questions than the ones in the beginning of the post, right? How would you feel towards God? Where did all this questions come from anyways? What’s the main point of them? what are they based on? 

Remember the talk that I had with my dad? well, he said: -"The Lord gave me last week Isaiah 40, and son, before thinking about anything else or yourself, just admire how great God is" 

I went ahead and read the chapter (Isaiah 40), I was sited on my chair when I was reading it, otherwise I would've fallen to the floor. 

Isaiah 40,

6 “All people are like grass,

    and all their faithfulness is like the flowers of the field.

7 The grass withers and the flowers fall,

    because the breath of the Lord blows on them.

    Surely the people are grass.

8 The grass withers and the flowers fall… 

Wow so where are we in this passage? You are a person right? Then we are like grass, and the best things we can do is wither like flowers!

… but the word of our God endures forever.

Wow, wait a second! What happens to the Word of GOD? that's right endures forever.

You may say,

-"Well yes He’s God, but hey my problems, my issues, my life is big too, Does He even know what are my problems? Does He even know anything? I need answers to live! He doesn’t even know what’s best for me. I do! He might be a good 'counselor' for others but he messed up with me. Why am I here if I’m worthless? Why I can’t do anything right? Why did my Dad leave? Why did got let that ugly thing happened to me? Why do I look the way I do? Why do they get married and I just can't?  He didn't even make me in the shape I wanted!. Etc."

Me, me, me, me. That’s the problem, we just think too much in our selves. Trust me, there are a lot of questions, but God has more answers. He first wants us to trust in Him, then we will be able to see His plan. Since He is higher than us, He has a better perspective and sees the way out of the labyrinth.       

   

How BIG God is, How INSIGNIFICANT I am.

To have an idea where we are and where is God, let’s keep reading Isaiah 40.

 Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand,

  12  or with the breadth of his hand marked off the heavens?

Who has held the dust of the earth in a basket,

    or weighed the mountains on the scales

    and the hills in a balance?

13 Who can fathom the Spirit[d] of the Lord,

    or instruct the Lord as his counselor?

14 Whom did the Lord consult to enlighten him,

    and who taught him the right way?

Who was it that taught him knowledge,

    or showed him the path of understanding?   v12-14

   

He actually DOES KNOW more than we can even comprehend. 

Why are we even questioning God? Who are we that are putting ourselves as equal to God? Does He really need to answer those questions of us? does He? Really? Are we even important that He should "spend" some time listening to us? 

You may say- "Well, yes sort of, He made us for some reason, we have the right to be listened by Him!

Are you sure? Let’s see what He says: 

Behold, the nations are as a drop in a bucket,

And are counted as the small dust on the scales;

Look, He lifts up the isles as a very little thing.

16And Lebanon is not sufficient to burn,

Nor its beasts sufficient for a burnt offering.

17All nations before Him are as nothing,

And they are counted by Him less than nothing and worthless.  v15-17

WOW! He just showed us that we are nothing and no one that He should listen to us.

The dust on a scale is nothing, when you are weighting something you don’t say yes its 4 pounds and 3 particles of dust, no! You do not even value dust! Its something worthless! 

When you see just a drop of water in a bucket and someone asks you, -what is inside that bucket? your answer is "nothing," right? 

Have you not known?

Have you not heard?

Has it not been told you from the beginning?

Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth?

22 It is He who sits above the circle of the earth,

And its inhabitants are like grasshoppers,

Who stretches out the heavens like a curtain,

And spreads them out like a tent to dwell in.

23 He brings the princes to nothing;

He makes the judges of the earth useless. v21-23

After I read this I found a lot of teachings that the Lord was showing me, First I cannot be God's adviser and I'm less than dust, not even the earth can be compared to Him.

So, where do my problems come after all, if they are meaningless? How do I solve them? 

1st. Our problems come because we are not looking how BIG His is, and instead we are looking how "big" we are.

Do you remember the guy that we wanted to make him curse God and the day he was born? well that history actually happened, his name was Job and he had a lot of questions and demands towards God.

 Here are the words That God used to help this guy to take his eyes off his own life and perspective and put them on God and His PERFECT will to his life.

This is what He told Job: 

Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said:

2 “Who is this who darkens counsel
By words without knowledge?

3 Now prepare yourself like a man;
I will question you, and you shall answer Me.

4 “Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth?
Tell Me, if you have understanding.
5 Who determined its measurements?
Surely you know!
Or who stretched the line upon it?

6 To what were its foundations fastened?
Or who laid its cornerstone,

7 When the morning stars sang together,
And all the sons of God shouted for joy?

8 “Or who shut in the sea with doors,
When it burst forth and issued from the womb;

9 When I made the clouds its garment,
And thick darkness its swaddling band;

10 When I fixed My limit for it,
And set bars and doors;

11 When I said,
‘This far you may come, but no farther,
And here your proud waves must stop!’

12 “Have you commanded the morning since your days began,
And caused the dawn to know its place,

13 That it might take hold of the ends of the earth,
And the wicked be shaken out of it?

14 It takes on form like clay under a seal,
And stands out like a garment.

15 From the wicked their light is withheld,
And the upraised arm is broken.

16 “Have you entered the springs of the sea?
Or have you walked in search of the depths?

17 Have the gates of death been revealed to you?
Or have you seen the doors of the shadow of death?

18 Have you comprehended the breadth of the earth?

Tell Me, if you know all this.  

(you can continue reading the end of the chapter 38 and the 39 of the book of Job, to see what God's wonders that made Job understand His position and Job's, and to make Job put his eyes on God )  

Then in chapter 40 verses 3-5 Job answers to God: 

“Behold, I am vile;

What shall I answer You?

I lay my hand over my mouth.

5 Once I have spoken, but I will not answer;

Yes, twice, but I will proceed no further.” 

Then the Lord kept on showing all His wonders and powerful deeds in chapter 40 and 41 to make Job answer this: 

Then Job answered the Lord and said:

2 “I know that You can do everything,
And that no purpose of Yours can be withheld from You.

3 You asked, ‘Who is this who hides counsel without knowledge?’
Therefore I have uttered what I did not understand,
Things too wonderful for me, which I did not know.

4 Listen, please, and let me speak;
You said, ‘I will question you, and you shall answer Me.’

5 “I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear,
But now my eye sees You.

6 Therefore I abhor myself,

And repent in dust and ashes.”

And we all know that everything that came upon Job at first it was the thing he was afraid of the most! “For the thing which I greatly feared is come upon me, and that which I was afraid of is come unto me” (Job 3:25).

Do you remember where the fears (and everything bad) come from? They come from taking our eyes from God and putting them on ourselves!

The signal that we have taken our eyes from God is not only that we have many fears, it's by having at least just ONE fear!

This topic is so long that I had to split it in two parts.

In the next post we will talk about:

1.     How to answer those questions, in God’s own way, not ours!

2.     Why are we urged to take our eyes off from God and put them on the forbidden fruit? We will have some answers in what happened with  Eve.

Let’s keep Him as our focus. Lets keep on conquering giants!!!

With the perfect love that ONLY comes from Christ,

-Nate Garcia.