Mid-Week Message - Look Up

The parking lot was empty.  The store had been closed down.  It was a good place to park just to kill time while I waited on things to be done at the house before returning with the dogs.  The afternoon was hot and humid so I sat with the engine running and the air conditioning on to keep us from melting. The landscaping had not been maintained.  Weeds were growing high and the difference between this part of the parking lot and that in front of the stores still open was stark.

As I pondered all the things going on in my life I started looking around.  What I thought was an almost dead tree in front of me actually had small red blooms on it.  Tiny and delicate, they seemed out of place.  There was the slightest of breezes that was gently rocking them to and fro.  As dark clouds were building, I wondered how something so fragile was able to survive storms with no shelter.  As if on cue, thunder rumbled in the distance and I shifted my focus upward.

That was the best thing I could have done. When I looked up at the gathering dark masses, my mind was transported away from my daily responsibilities and problems.  One cloud looked like a face and I was reminded to pray.  So, there I sat in an idling vehicle with two sleeping dogs snoring in the back seat, in an abandoned section of a shopping center parking lot in the middle of town, and began talking to the Almighty.

What is it about the physical act of looking up that can change our mental and spiritual focus? Sunrises, sunsets, cloud formations, stars, lightening and rainbows can help us catch our breath, renew our energy and put the things of this world in their proper place.  I believe it is because when we turn our faces to the sky we are reminded that we are not alone.  There is Someone else in charge. What seemed to us an insurmountable issue begins to lose its power as new possibilities become apparent.

I think the following is beautiful in describing the Lord's watch over us. When I read this passage I can imagine David standing with his face pointed heavenward.  There was much more going on in His life when he wrote this than mine but we know he loved God and trusted Him.  That is all I need to know.  As you read Psalm 121 below, let your mind turn toward the One worthy of our full focus.  God bless you.  

Psalm 121The Message (MSG): 

I look up to the mountains;  does my strength come from mountains? No, my strength comes from God,  who made heaven, and earth, and mountains. He won’t let you stumble,  your Guardian God won’t fall asleep. Not on your life! Israel’s Guardian will never doze or sleep. God’s your Guardian, right at your side to protect you—Shielding you from sunstroke, sheltering you from moonstroke. God guards you from every evil, He guards your very life.  He guards you when you leave and when you return, He guards you now, He guards you always.