Fix Your Gaze

In America, we live in anxious times. Each week—each day, even—brings some bad news out of Washington, causing many to worry and to feel that they have a lack of control. Those in charge seem quite powerful at these times, leaving the rest of us to feel disempowered, especially if we do not trust the motivations of those in power.

As easy as it is to get caught up in all the negative emotions that surround the news, it is important for Christians to step back and take a deep breath. Our focus cannot be on the temporal “what if’s”. Rather, if we keep our focus on God, these winds of change and uncertainty should not be able to uproot us and toss us around. Hebrews 3:1-6 tells us that Jesus Christ is God and that we are to “fix” our thoughts on Him. When I read this word “fix”, I can’t help but picture a horse with blinders on. That is how we should be: our field of vision should be concentrated on Christ.

The writer of Hebrews compared Christ to Moses, the temporal leader of the Israelites. However, the book elevates Christ above Moses. Moses was the faithful servant of God as he led the Israelites through the desert and into the Promised Land. The text points out that Moses was the house that Christ built. But Moses was only God’s servant, and Christ is God. This is important for us today, because it reveals that our focus should not be on our worldly leaders. We should “fix” our gaze on our ultimate Leader, Jesus Christ, our High Priest and Apostle to the Father. Hebrews 3:6 states, “But Christ is faithful as the Son over God’s house. And today, the Christian Church is God’s house, just as the writer of Hebrews points out. This statement is significant and should give us reassurance at this uncertain time. No matter what is going on in our country, good or bad, whether it impacts us personally or not, we are safe and sound because we are Christ’s Church, “holy brothers and sisters, who share in the heavenly calling” (Heb. 3:1).

Of course, this does not mean that we should ignore what is going on in our country, or turn a blind eye to any injustices that may take place. Just as Moses did before us, we are to remain true and faithful to God. We are to continually seek God’s precepts and walk in God’s ways. This is a two-fold endeavor. Psalm 128: 1-6 talks about how we are to fear the Lord and also to walk in obedience to God.  Along with our faith and reverence of God, we must have actions to back up our beliefs. If our lives mirror our faith, the injustices we face will be dealt with in a way that reflects God’s love and Kingdom to a hurting and uncertain world.

In troubled times such as these, we must “fix” our gaze on Jesus and with dogged focus “hold firm to our confidence and hope in which we glory” while we faithfully continue to walk in obedience and reverence to God. Our fears shall melt away; our strength to walk in this anxious time shall be renewed. As the English anchoress and Christian mystic, Julian of Norwich, wrote in the 14^th century, “All is well, and all shall be well.”