Perspective is Everything

We’ve all experienced how important perspective is to perception.  Our viewpoint in any situation affects what we see and how we feel.  But our perspective is always limited and cannot be fully trusted.  Recent activities in my own life have reminded me of this truth.

While visiting my grandchildren, I discovered again the simplicity of life through the eyes of a toddler – something I hadn’t experienced in decades.  Although age brings its own valuable perspective, there is nothing quite as refreshing as a child’s view of the world.

Watching winter change to spring over the past few weeks has also reminded me of the value of each season.  Everyone where I live is elated right now to have new flowers and more sun to fill our days.  But the same plants that are now delighting us will later in another season require cleanup of leaves and dead flowers; and the sun we enjoy in spring will bring summer days of discomfort when temperatures climb and lawns die from lack of rain.  Perspective really is everything.

Flying home recently, I enjoyed an amazing sunset from 30,000 feet.  However, the thick clouds that formed the foundation of my viewpoint obscured this sunset from the view of those on the ground below.  As a photographer, I am often looking for a great sunset photo; but a sunset from this altitude brought a new perspective from what I usually have to choose from. 

I’ve lived enough life to know that perspective is also important when it comes to our Christian walk.  If all we can see is what our human eyes look at, then what God is doing won’t always make sense to us.  He reminds us of this in Isaiah 55:8-9 – “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord.  For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.” 

As these verses indicate, we can’t ever really see things from God’s perspective.  But faith is about remembering that there is another perspective besides our own limited one – and choosing to trust what we know about God instead of our own perspective.  The more we understand God’s character, the better equipped we are to trust him and his perspective – because we know that he loves us and always wants what is best for us.  Perspective really is everything – and God’s perspective is the only one that really matters in the long run.

The Privilege of Prayer

I heard a story this week of an atheist who found himself in the midst of a group of acquaintances who all just happened to be Christians.  He had shared some difficult things happening in his life, and they had all responded that they would pray for him.  He was offended because he doesn’t believe in God – not understanding that, for Christians, praying for someone is a way to express care and concern.

It’s hard to know how to respond to those who don’t believe in God; but those of us who have begun to understand who God is also understand what an amazing privilege it is to be able to pray.  We know that prayer is not just words uttered in an attempt to alleviate suffering or get things to go well in our lives.  Or at least we should.

Prayer is a privilege because it is an invitation to be in the presence of God Almighty.  Because of Christ’s role as our final high priest, who intercedes for us with God the Father, we are able to “draw near to the throne of grace with confidence that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:16).  We get to communicate directly with the God who created us and be in a daily relationship with him!

But it is easy to take this privilege for granted.  Most of us barely scratch the surface of what is available to us in terms of relationship with God.  Prayer becomes more about asking God to act on our behalf and less about the privilege of coming into his presence.  If we think about our human relationships, we get a better picture of what God wants our prayers to be like – daily interaction that listens as well as speaks, not always looking to accomplish our own agenda. 

God promises to make himself available to us if we truly make ourselves available to him: “You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart” (Jeremiah 29:13).  I don’t want to ever take the privilege of prayer for granted, because there is nothing more worthwhile than a relationship with the God of the universe!

"Enter in . . . to the throne room of the Father

Enter in . . . to the presence of the King.

Come behind the veil, and walk with me;
In the cool of the day, I'll walk with you.

For where I am is paradise –
Look into my eyes, look into my eyes;
How I long for you, as you long for me

Won't you take the time to visit for awhile?
For your precious presence
Brings joy to my heart
Oh now my child, come on through . . .

Enter in . . . to the throne room of the Father

Enter in . . . to the presence of the King."

(Chuck Girard, ©1989 Sea of Glass Music/ASCAP)