By Pastor Anthony Scott
Life constantly presents each of us with circumstances that are quite frankly beyond our control. There is a point in everyone’s life beyond which the gift of choice cannot reach. If given the freedom to choose, some circumstances would never appear on the calendar of our lives. How do we resist that crucial moment in life where we want to bow to the surging waves of life’s determinism? What do you do when you are confronted with circumstances which we do not have the freedom to choose, but which we are forced to deal?
One of the great temptations of life is too become too absorbed in our particular plight. The great burden of life is to master the art of looking beyond our circumstances. For many, their vision becomes turned inward and they can never see beyond where they are.
Notice how the Psalmist responds to his circumstances. He is saying in substance, “I would have lost my courage and spirit; I would have fallen into a state of dejection; I would have collapsed spiritually; I would have fallen under the sultry sweltering heat of cynicism if I had only looked at my circumstances. But I gained the courage to look beyond my circumstances, and by doing so I was able to see the goodness of God winning its victory in history.” How did he gain this courage? What are the specific gains in looking beyond our circumstances?
The first gain is learning not to see my present reality as a whole. God has a divine plan and all events are determined according to His plan. We often fall victim to a law of optometry called proximity. Closeness to an object prevents us from seeing it in its totality. We are often too close to our situation to see the whole plan. The second gain is learning that our circumstances are not unique. While they are not unique, God is faithful and places restrictions on our circumstances. Human perseverance is fueled by Divine preservation. Your final gain is being able to see the ultimate triumph of goodness. There is a fixed structure of goodness that can master every circumstance. Rather than fainting under seemingly determined odds, maintain hope in the ultimate determiner of our destinies.
Charles Haddon Spurgeon once said “The man who can walk through the world and see no God, is said upon inspired authority to be a fool; but the wise man’s eyes are in his head, he sees with an inner sight, and discovers God everywhere at work. It is his joy to perceive that the Lord is working according to His will in heaven, and earth, and in all deep places.”
