Keep Looking Up!

“To put it mildly, the world is a mess.”  This assessment from former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright would have to be the understatement of the year. Think about it for a second – Ukraine, Gaza, horrific slaughters by the Islamic State (IS) in Iraq, the Ebola virus in West Africa. If that weren’t enough, the past week has brought police in riot gear facing off against protestors in a St. Louis suburb. And the sad passing of a celebrity that has spawned conversations regarding suicide and depression.

“To put it mildly….” How are we to survive in this messed up world? How do we keep from getting so frustrated that we just give up? Where are we to turn for help to survive?  The answer to these questions is profoundly simple: Look up!

The psalmist wrote, “I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth” (Psalm 121:1-2).

The God who brought light out of darkness in Genesis 1 is the one from whom our help comes. The powerful Creator of the vast heavens is our protector. The one who formed every living thing guides us through this troubled world. The Triune God who pronounced the finished creation as “very good” is ready to bless our “going out and coming in from this time forth and forevermore.”

To those dealing with a rebellious child, a bitter spouse or the burden of caring for a loved one battling dementia, the Psalmist reminds us to “Look up!” Six times in this Psalm we are reminded that God is our “keeper.” He is not an impersonal deity, giving orders from on high, yet separated from our realities. He is our refuge, our strength, our present help each step of the way (Psa. 46:1-2).

To those facing the darkness of depression or struggling to rise from another spiritual defeat, the Psalmist reminds us to “Look up!” For those who are in Christ Jesus, none of the things that happen to us, none of the troubles or failings we encounter, have any power to dilute His grace in us. Nothing has any power to come between us and God (Rom. 8:1,28-39).

look upLook up! Christian friend, the Maker of heaven and earth has not gotten bored with His creation, and he definitely has not lost interest in one He has redeemed with the precious blood of His Son. You are a precious child of the Father, His purchased possession. Neither the world nor your life is too messed up for you to dump the burdens and worries of life before your God. He cares for you!

Yes, the world is a mess. And life is messy at times. But take heart. Our help comes from the Lord, the Creator of the heavens and earth, the One who holds all things together. He knows you, loves you and will continue to keep you from this time forth and forevermore.

So, keep looking up!

Author: Pastor Frosty Hansen