Keep your eye on the ball

So, I have had 3 different friends, none of which know each other, post the same Bible verse today (Proverbs 4:25) on Facebook. Maybe God is trying to tell me something lol… At any rate, I just decided to read a little more about that verse, and chapter, and thought I’d share some of it.

“Let your eyes look straight ahead; fix your gaze directly before you. Give careful thought to the paths for your feet and be steadfast in all your ways. Do not turn to the right or the left; keep your foot from evil.” Proverbs 4:25-27

Sometimes, we have something we’re praying for, or a goal we’re trying to achieve, and it seems like stuff just keeps getting in the way or trying to make us lose sight of that destination. The encouraging word here is that we need to take heart and know that we are on the right path. If you stay focused on the goal/destination, and don’t worry about what people around you are saying (i.e. “That’s impossible!”) or doing (i.e. constantly doing things to bring you down), you will triumph! We will eventually get there, even if it takes a longer time than you had hoped for. But, we well conquer the journey to it, and we will enjoy the benefits of it! In other words, keep your eye on the ball.

The Bible also tells us, in Jeremiah 29:11, “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” (NIV). What better promise can you get than this, especially from our Creator? The path that we need to focus on is towards that future and needs to be according to that plan. Did you know that those plans that God has for us are promises that we can bank on?

The Bible does not guarantee that we will be free of struggles in this life. In John 16:33, Jesus says “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” God doesn’t give you strife. He doesn’t give you diseases, sicknesses, misfortune, pain, disaster, hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes, etc. He gives you hope, unconditional (and unfathomable) love, grace, strength, wisdom, mercy, peace, and abundance. We live in a broken world, full of decay and death, all caused by the sin of man. The consequences of that sin are all of those calamities I listed, and more. Again, God doesn’t cause these to happen. Does he know about it? Yup. Why didn’t he prevent it? That is a question you’ll have to ask him someday after this life is over. We can’t understand his ways, not ever. But, what I can tell you is that God can, and most likely will, use any of those natural disasters, with all of the horrible aftermath, to bring about good for His glory. That could be the miraculous healing of stage 4 cancer, or even life restored from the dead.