God Glasses

One day, while living in California, I hiked with a group of friends to the top of a huge rock in Idyllwild, California. This monstrous rock sits high up the mountainside overlooking the little town of Idyllwild and is a favorite place for rock climbers.

Not being rock climbers, we decided to see how far we could climb up the backside of the rock and to our surprise we were able to get all the way to the very top. The climb was treacherous and difficult but the view made the whole trek completely worth it. It was spectacular!

As I sat high atop that rock, gazing at the scenery below I
wondered . . . What if I were able to see my life from a viewpoint like this; viewing it from a higher perspective where I see and understand things so much clearer rather than from the ground where I only see what is in front of me? Why doesn’t God allow me to see things from His perspective?

But, what if He has and I’ve missed it?

In the Old Testament, there is a humorous story about God allowing two men to see things from His viewpoint.

The King of Aram went to war against Israel. Each time he mobilized his troops in an area to fight against them; suddenly there were no Israelites to be found. This happened over and over again until the King was completely infuriated! How did they always seem to know where he was going to be?

The King of Aram finally in utter frustration called all of his officers together and demanded to know who the traitor was! One guy piped up and said, “It’s not us, my lord the king. Elisha, the prophet in Israel, tells the king of Israel even the words you speak in the privacy of your bedroom!” (2 Kings 6:12 NLV)

When the king found out that it was Elisha who was spoiling his plans, he immediately decided to march on the city where Elisha lived.

When Elisha’s servant got up the next morning and went outside there were troops and chariots everywhere! He ran back inside in a panic, yelling that they were surrounded. And look how Elisha responded to him, “Don’t be afraid!” he told him. “There are more on our side than on theirs!” Then Elisha prayed, “O LORD, open his eyes and let him see!” The LORD opened the young man’s eyes, and when he looked up, he saw that the hillside around Elisha was filled with horses and chariots of fire.” (2 Kings 6:16-17 NLV)

There are only a few places in Scripture where God opens up the curtain between heaven and earth and we get a glimpse of His greatness and power; this story is one of those times.

What did Elisha know that his servant did not? Elisha KNEW the greatness of God and he CHOSE to see things from God’s perspective and not his own; it was as if he had on “God Glasses”.

A friend of mine chose to put on “God Glasses” one Thanksgiving day. For her, Thanksgiving was never a pleasant time because her family was so dysfunctional. Often when she arrived her brother would be yelling and swearing at his kids and smoking like a chimney. She dreaded taking her family into this environment.

This Thanksgiving however, she prayed and asked the Lord to help her see her family the way that He sees them. When she got there, her brother, as usual was yelling and swearing at his kids but instead of being annoyed she felt burdened because she saw the pain reflected in his actions. It was that way everywhere she looked, where before she would have seen only their destructive behavior, now she saw heartache and sorrow instead.

For my friend it was as if God removed the curtain between heaven and earth and she saw beyond her circumstances and glimpsed the real hurt that so many people experience that have no hope.

What about you? Do you choose to see things from God’s perspective or from your own? Do you WANT God’s view of things or do you choose to stay where it’s safe and uncomplicated?

If we choose to see things from God’s viewpoint it often moves us from the comfortable to the uncomfortable BUT the view is great and truly rewarding! So put on your glasses, you’ll be amazed at what you see!