Lift Up Your Eyes

Welcome to today's encouragement from Our Daily Bread. Today's reading titled, Lift Up Your Eyes, was written by Glenn Pachium. The clouds hung low, blocking the horizon and limiting visibility to only a few hundred yards.

The minutes dragged on. The effect on my mood was noticeable. But then, as afternoon approached, the clouds began to break, and I saw it. Beautiful Pike's Peak, the most recognizable landmark of my city, flanked on each side by the mountain range.

A smile broke over my face. I considered that even our physical perspective, our literal line of sight, can affect our spiritual vision. And I was reminded of the psalmist singing, I lift up my eyes to the mountains.

Sometimes we simply need to lift our eyes a bit higher. The psalmist pondered where his help came from, maybe because the hilltops around Israel were dotted with altars to pagan gods and often contained robbers. Or it could have been because the psalmist looked up beyond the hills to Mount Zion where the temple stood and remembered that the maker of heaven and earth was his covenant God. Either way, to worship, we must look up. We have to lift our eyes higher than our circumstances, higher than our troubles and trials, higher than the empty promises of the false gods of our day. Then we can see the creator and redeemer, the one who calls us by name. He's the one who will watch over your coming and going, today and forevermore. Today's Our Daily Bread devotional scripture reading is Psalm 121.

I lift up my eyes to the mountains. Where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth. He will not let your foot slip. He who watches over you will not slumber. Indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord watches over you. The Lord is your shade at your right hand.

The sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord will keep you from all harm. He will watch over your life. The Lord will watch over your coming and going, both now and forevermore.

Let's pray. Dear Father, thank you that you're the creator and keeper, the one who made the heavens and the earth and watches over us all. When you become obscured by all the darkness in the world, help us to lift our eyes higher so we can see you and renew our trust in you. Thank you, Lord. It's in Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Today's encouragement was provided by Our Daily Bread Ministries.