Divine Perspective
Perspective is everything. When looking at what is happening in the world, the Church, or even our individual families, our lives, we NEED a divine perspective!
Perspective can arise out of what we hear, see, and feel, forming what we think. But our hearing, our seeing and feeling, our thinking arise out of our experiences, so how can we be sure that we are perceiving correctly? By aligning our perspective with God’s. By immersing ourselves in the words of God. By asking the Holy Spirit for HIS perspective!
The entire Sermon on the Mount was teaching in which Jesus provided a Kingdom perspective. “You have heard it said…but I say to you…” [Emphasis mine]
We are affected by what we put into our minds and hearts. I have become increasingly aware in these days of the need for a digital “diet,” for being mindful and intentional about what I allow to come across my screen. And I need to be careful to guard what I listen to or allow to affect me. What I feed on is what will influence my perspective.
John Eldredge, in his book Resilient, asserted that, in recent years, our perception has been “under siege.” He admonishes his reader:
“Story is the way we orient ourselves in the world. Story is how we figure things out, bring order and meaning to the events around dus. The story we hold to at any given time shapes our perceptions, hopes, and expectations; it gives us a place to stand. In this mad hour on the earth, what story are you telling yourself—or letting others tell you?” (p. 23)
I’ve been asking myself that same question: What story am I telling myself? What story ought I to believe? Am I living by God’s Kingdom story, or by what my human ears and eyes see and hear?
In other words, am I processing what I see and hear through a divine lens? Am I perceiving what the Spirit is speaking to His beloved Bride? “Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”*
We don’t want to be like the people of Jesus’s day who didn’t recognize what was right in front of them! “In them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah: ‘You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving. For this people’s heart has become calloused…’ ”**
Our hearts need to remain tender in God’s hands if we are to perceive what He is doing NOW. God is always working, even to this day,*** and Jesus is coming soon. May we prepare our hearts to obey Him and may our feet be ready to follow wherever He leads!
For Jesus’ Sake,
Chris & Julie
“Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?” Isaiah 43:18, 19a
Scriptures Referenced:
*Rev. 2:29, **Matthew 13:14ff, John 5:17.