I recently was on a flight to Nashville for a mental health conference.
I walked to my seat and with my fellow passengers, I put my belongings under the seat, buckled my seatbelt and sat back, ready to get to my destination.
My plane took off with ease and I found myself praying, as I always do when traveling, for a ‘safe flight’. The flight started off smoothly. Gliding through the sky with ease, watching the clouds pass by and the sun rise in all its beauty. But shortly after taking off, the plane began shaking. One shocking jolt. Then another. Then another. The massive aircraft that just was sailing through the air was now being shook, swayed side to side with each push of the invisible air. The pilot soon came across the speaker telling everyone we had encountered unexpected turbulence, to stay buckled and remain seated for the duration of the flight for our safety.
Thousands of feet in the air, facing elements that were invisible, unexpected and completely out of our control.
I immediately found myself in a place where I was filled with anxiety, and everything in me is fighting to focus on Jesus, praying to calm my nerves and settle my mind. I was desperately trying to secure myself in faith while fear was gripping my heart.
Heart beating fast. Eyes rapidly move back and forth seeking assurance of safety. Hands gripping the seat desperately holding on for a sense of stability. Mind racing with swirling thoughts fueled by fear.
Turbulence. It’s Uncontrollable. Unpredictable. Unsettling.
If we stop and think about these words, they not only describe the turbulence I experienced on that plane, but what I think we often experience in this journey of life. And keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus in those times, when the storms of life come sweeping in, can be so tough.
As we journey through life, we have moments when the winds are calm enough for us to catch our breath and reset our gaze, but then all of a sudden, out of nowhere, our world starts shaking again.
It was at this moment I was reminded that this is often the tug-of-war we all find ourselves in in life.
Tragedy happens. Loss comes our way. Grief knocks on our door in the middle of the night. Trauma fractures. Physical healing doesn’t come. Addiction destroys in ways you never imagined.
It’s unpredictable. Uncertain. Unsettling. And out of our control.
It’s easy to say ‘just trust in God’ or ‘fix your eyes on Jesus’; it’s much harder to actually do that when faced with unexpected turbulence that rocks your world. I find that fixing our eyes and trusting in Jesus in hard times is an intentional and deliberate act we must repeat over and over, not just a one and done.
I trust in God, I know He is Sovereign and in control; but with each violent shake of the plane, each sway of the wings, each warning that came across the speaker; uncertainty and fear gripped, tempting to destroy every ounce of confidence and security I was desperately trying to cling to. With each assault fear took on my mind, I had to take hold of my thoughts and fix my gaze on Jesus. Every distraction, I had to intentionally pull myself and my thoughts back to the One who I knew was in all control. I had to intentionally keep reminding myself of the truth I know when everything around me is trying to tell me otherwise.
Because the truth is, no matter what we see or what we experience, we still have a God that is in control.
If you find yourself in this place, I want to share an encouraging passage of scripture with you.
Isaiah 6 gives us a picture of God that I love. Isaiah 6:1 says, ‘In the year King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of His robe filled the temple.”
Stop for a second and close your eyes. In your mind imagine seeing what Isaiah is describing right now. It’s overwhelming. He starts out by saying ‘in the year King Uzziah died’. Further study of the scripture explains that the year the King died, chaos broke out. The people had experienced peace and security for many years, but when the King suddenly died, life became unpredictable, uncertain, unsettling, and out of control.
But in that same year, when everything is out of control, Isaiah tells us he ‘sees the Lord, seated on a throne’.
Seated.
While chaos is breaking out below, our God is seated, settled on His throne.
Think about that for a minute.
He is settled, firmly and confidently sitting on His throne, in absolute control, with all authority.
I don’t know your story. I don’t know where you find yourself right now in life or what you are going through. I don’t know the turbulence you are experiencing but I know the One who does. I know we go through storms in life that don’t make sense. Our lives can fracture in ways we feel we will never be whole again. That is reality on this earth. But in Christ, we have another reality to live by and a hope that nothing can ever take away.
So, wherever you find yourself today, fix your eyes on Jesus. And when life begins shaking uncontrollably and turbulence hits, fix your eyes again. And when you begin to lose sight and fear or worry blur your vision, fix your eyes again.
Keep fixing your eyes on Jesus. He is seated. He is in full control. And when we intentionally practice fixing our eyes on Him and not on what’s going on around us, confidence and strength will rise from within, enabling us to stand firm no matter what we face this side of heaven.