Most people profess to be following Christ but they are following Him from a distance. And because they lag behind, confusion, doubts and fear can easily blind and overtake them that they can no longer see what God is doing nor hear His voice guiding them when they get sidetracked during the journey.
One strong impediment that keeps God out of our sight is the unnecessary busyness in life because of misplaced values. People are so busy during working days trying to meet deadlines to complete a job but they are even busier during weekends finding temporary relief from their daily tensions, pressures and stresses, forgetting that apart from God according to the wisest man ever lived, Solomon, life will always be utterly meaningless – a chasing after the wind.
What should we do then? We should follow Jesus more closely. And to follow Him more closely according to Hebrews 12:2, we have to fix our eyes on Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith. We need to consistently focus on Christ instead of our circumstances. Yes, as Christians we are not exempted from troubles and problems. We face circumstances 24 hours a day, but we must look at circumstances from God’s perspective. We must trust in God’s character, in His words, in His purpose, in His promises and in His power.
In our life we have so many “gods” but there’s just one God to follow, the One and Only True Living God, the God Almighty, the God whom the prophet Nehemiah worshipped. He said in His book 8:10, “The joy that the Lord gives will make you strong.” He is the God that King David served and described in Ps. 68:35, “You are awesome, O God, in Your sanctuary; the God of Israel gives power and strength to His people.” And in Ps. 16:8-9, King David said, “I have set the Lord always before me. Because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure." If Jesus is Lord then we will not be shaken. In times of sickness, God is our healer. In times of fear, God is our deliverer. In times of need, God is our provider. In times of loneliness, God is our comfort. In times of mourning, God is our joy. In times of guilt, God is our redeemer. Our Good Lord Jesus has already proven His great love for us on the cross. He did it so that by the shedding of His blood, God can embrace us. By His wound, God can heal us. By His resurrection, God can welcome us into His kingdom where there is no more death or mourning or crying or pain (Rev. 21:4a).
Because God is our steadfast Anchor amid the storms and stresses of life, our future rests securely on His solid foundation. He is faithful and He changes not. Who then do we follow?