FIX YOUR EYES ON JESUS
(6-minute read)
We keep our eyes on what's important to us. This includes poll results during an election, the stock market indices, our individual or organisational key performance indicators, our children’s academic progress, suspicious-looking people in our neighbourhoods, the weather when we are planning travel, and the list goes on. We want to watch things and people closely to stay informed and avoid undesirable outcomes. Whether they appear on our device screens or in front of us, we tend to act on visible cues because we simply hate surprises.
The Bible repeatedly tells us to take our eyes away from what is seen and fix our eyes on an invisible God. What does the Bible say about the reward for pursuing such counterintuitive response to life? We are told that this is the only way to thrive. “And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith… so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.” (Hebrews 12:1-3).
Running creates an intensity and momentum that is hard to achieve when we are slowing down. That’s what it takes to fix our eyes on Jesus. We intentionally create space in our lives for Him daily. We prioritize His counsel in all situations. We recognize Jesus as the friend beside us and not the emergency number to call when all other resources fail to come through for us. Primarily, fixing our eyes on Jesus develops in us a healthy trust in God, our Father - no matter how our realities appear.
2 Chronicles 19:4-7 (NLT) retells King Jehoshaphat’s faith in God before and during a time of severe national crises. In times of peace, instead of resting in the prosperity and peace that God provided, King Jehoshaphat laboriously “went out among the people, traveling from Beersheba to the hill country of Ephraim, encouraging the people to return to the Lord, the God of their ancestors. He appointed judges throughout the nation in all the fortified towns, and he said to them, “Always think carefully before pronouncing judgment. Remember that you do not judge to please people but to please the Lord. He will be with you when you render the verdict in each case. Fear the Lord and judge with integrity, for the Lord our God does not tolerate perverted justice, partiality, or the taking of bribes.” Furthermore, “He gave them these orders: “You must serve faithfully and wholeheartedly in the fear of the Lord.” (2 Chronicles 19:9 NLT).
Presumably, things should go well for him and his kingdom and he and his subjects would live happily ever after, right? Instead, a tripartite military alliance rose up against him. So, you may ask, was this Satan’s attack on King Jehoshaphat because he turned his people to God? Shouldn’t God reward him for his reverence and devotion?
Let’s get this right: we cannot impress God by our good deeds because He desires obedience and not sacrifice (or things we give up to get on His good side). God sees through us. “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith - and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God - not by works, so that no one can boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9).
There are three things we can learn from King Jehoshaphat about fixing our eyes on Jesus.
When The Unknown Springs Up On You
How do you handle high-stake surprises like facing a divorce as an unemployed empty nester? Or discovering that you are let go in a round of layoffs soon after you welcomed another child? Or finding out something you had not expected about your spouse before the wedding? When we have been consciously walking in obedience with God and feel that we should be exempted from harm, adversities and distress, it is easy to feel ‘targeted’ as unsuspecting victims.
How did King Jehoshaphat respond to the extreme turn of events in his life? Instead of reacting with military might, he turned to God. This means he had no other backup plans in mind other than turning to God. Whether in peaceful or war times, accessing God was just a conversation away for the king because he had always fixed his eyes on God. Indeed, habits that are not built in calm won’t be found in crisis.
His conversation with God was honest, humble and unpretentious. “Our God, will You not judge them? For we have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on You.” (2 Chronicles 20:12).
We can only be taken by surprise because of what we fail to see. If we see that nothing is new to God, and nothing can surprise Him, it will be clear to us that the enemy always resorts to using old tricks and tactics against us. Our adversary only knows how to steal, kill and destroy but God creates life and provides hope.
When You Are Overwhelmed
The expression when it rains, it pours describes the feeling we get when trouble seems to appear in bunches. Multiple problems appear in the different aspects of our lives that seem to assault all our faculties concurrently! King Jehoshaphat had just narrowly escaped death in a battle against Ramoth Gilead that killed the King of Israel (as prophesied) when he returned home only to find himself facing a newly-formed hostile alliance who declared war on Judah.
The enemy needs only to wear us out mentally and emotionally to disarm us physically and spiritually. That is why the apostle Paul urged believers to fix their eyes on Jesus “so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.” Paul knew it too well because he had lived through adversities so extreme that giving up for survival would have made complete sense to most people. He had been “in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my fellow Jews, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false believers”. (2 Corinthians 11:26).
If you are beginning to feel overwhelmed, don’t stay stuck on the enemy’s dartboard! Declare as the young David did when he faced Goliath’s threat, “You come against me with (state what you are facing), but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty” (1 Samuel 17:45).
When You Have Only Questions
King Jehoshaphat’s prayers were often open-ended conversations with God. He did not try to give God a blow-by-blow situational analysis, nor strategic moves that God should empower him to succeed in. In fact, his prayers sounded quite weak and helpless.
“Our God, did you not drive out the inhabitants of this land before Your people Israel and give it forever to the descendants of Abraham Your friend? Our God, will You not judge them? (2 Chronicles 20:7, 12).
Did Jehoshaphat really think that approaching God with no alternative plans and lame-sounding prayers would work? Clearly, he was not focused on the methods of approaching God but on the God whom he approached. Ultimately, God gave him resounding victory against his enemies! (Catch up on the details in 2 Chronicles 20:18-30).
How can we tell people that we still have a great God when the unknown springs up on us, when we feel overwhelmed, and when we have only questions? Well, just like King Jehoshaphat, it means we open ourselves to more great stories of God to be written in our lives!
This is a summary and reflection based on a virtual BIR Session held on 3 May 2025.
