With all of the tragedy overtaking the media, it can be easy for us to get lost in the sauce (the sad news) but how about we adjust our focus?
In the last sermon I heard at church before churches were closed, my pastor spoke about a popular Bible story found in the gospels, Matthew 8:23-27, Mark 4:35-41 and Luke 8:22-25, the story of Jesus calming the wind and sea. (If you haven't read it, make sure you do because its a beautiful story. Actually if you have read it before, read it again!)
The gospels give us a synopsis of Jesus preaching the good news of God throughout villages and cities. One day, He and His disciples went into a boat. As they began to sail, Jesus fell asleep and a windstorm erupted. The disciples woke Jesus up, hoping He could save them, as they thought they were going to die.
In the book of Mark it states that Jesus said, “Peace be still” and the winds and waves obeyed Him. Jesus then asked His disciples why they were afraid and told them that they lacked faith.
To be honest, I’m sure if we were in the same situation the disciples were in, we would have responded the same way.
However, the way my pastor put it, we should ask ourselves “What are we focusing on?".
Imagine being in a boat with the King of Kings, the Prince of Peace and instead of focusing on this, you’re focusing on what’s around you. Jesus was in the boat with the disciples so they were safe but they didn’t realize this because they were too busy focusing on the storm outside of the boat.
Another familiar story regarding Jesus and water is the story of Peter attempting to walk on water after He realized that it was Jesus who he and the other disciples saw walking on water, found in Matthew 14:22-33. When Peter’s eyes were focused on Jesus, he began to walk on the sea but as soon as he changed his focus from Jesus to the wind and waves, he began to sink.
A wise friend once told me 'the tiny things make a big difference.'
If we continuously watch depressing videos regarding what’s going on in the world today or dwell on a terrible thing that may have happened to us in the past, our anxieties will get the best of us and like Peter, we may begin to sink because our focus is not on Jesus. Our emotions will instead begin to control us and fear will take over our lives.
It is important for us to make time to unplug from all that’s going on around us. Turn off the news, take a break from social media and take your focus off of what’s happening around you and focus on Jesus who longs to spend time with you.
The hours we may have spent on social media can be replaced with time spent worshipping God, reading a passage of scripture or listening to uplifting music.
Psalms 34:1 says, “I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth.”
The verse does not say I will bless the Lord when something good happens or I will bless the Lord when I get what I’ve been praying for. It says I will bless the Lord at all times, meaning during the good times and the bad times.
In the New King James Version, the title of this chapter in Psalms is “The Happiness of Those Who Trust in God. Verse 4 says the Lord delivered me from all my fears meaning when we leave our anxieties and fears in God’s hands, He will help us through it.
So why not spend time today focusing on God and truly worshipping Him?
About The Author
Hi I'm Scharlee. I am from the beautiful Caribbean island, The Bahamas. I love God, young people and politics. I recently graduated from the University of Sussex with a Bachelor of Laws degree and I am currently completing the Bar Professional Training Course in Birmingham. I enjoy blogging and performing spoken word poetry. Through my blog and poetry, I hope to inspire others. My blog has faith and lifestyle content relatable to young people. You can read more through the links below.
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