Our Eyes Are On You
“We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.”
– King Jehoshaphat
I don’t naturally handle stress very well. I’m easily overwhelmed with circumstances or when confronted with more to do than I feel I have the capacity for. Some people love to troubleshoot problems. Not me. I’m too often paralyzed by them.
That’s why I can relate to what King Jehoshaphat says in 2 Chronicles 20:12, “We don’t know what to do!” That’s what I’ve been feeling lately. We have a checklist, seemingly a mile long, of things to do before going to Kenya. More forms to fill out, records to track down and copy, books to read, presentations to prepare, people to meet with, a house to get ready to rent, phone calls to make, and children that need help adjusting to our new future realities. And all this by July, in addition to our other normal daily responsibilities and jobs. I’ve often found myself thinking, “I just don’t know what to do.”
Then I came across 2 Chronicles 20 in my time with God a few days ago. King Jehoshaphat and Judah were about to be invaded by a great army of Moabites, Ammonites, and Meunites. They felt like any of us would have felt in that situation. They were afraid. So the response, “We don’t know what to do.” But Jehoshaphat didn’t end there. He didn’t lie down and wait to die. He may not have known what to do, but he knew God did. God had always been faithful. Therefore he continued, “our eyes are on you.” In other words, we know we can’t do this on our own. We’re going to look to you for what we need.
God responded, “Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed at this great horde, for the battle is not yours but God’s.” (2 Chronicles 20:15)
As I continued reading the chapter, I learned that even though they didn’t know how they were going to defeat the army that came against them, the people of Judah looked to the Lord in prayer, put their trust in God’s provision and sang praises to him in worship. And God delivered them.
Reading this was an encouragement to me. I realized I had been looking at my circumstances from a human perspective, “Look at all I need to do!” instead of from God’s perspective. If he’s called us to go, then it truly is his battle. It doesn’t mean we sit back and do nothing. But I think putting our eyes on him means to take my list of things to do, my uncertainty about the future, my fears and sense of inadequacies, to the Lord in prayer. It means trusting in all that he has done for us in Christ, and trusting if he has called us, he will be faithful to provide what we need. And it means responding to the beauty of who he is in thankfulness and worship – even when we’re still in the midst of our circumstances and don’t see things clearly.
I may not always know what to do when I’m faced with a tough decision or circumstance – in fact I can count on it – but may the Lord help us all to turn our eyes upon him in trust and delight.