Why is it important to keep your eyes on Jesus?

In life, we will meet storms and setbacks. It is not whether we will face a storm, but when. More importantly, how do we deal with them? Are we dealing with the storms of life in faith or in fear? Do we look at the problems, or do we keep our eye on Jesus?

Life’s storms have a way to bring out what is in us: fear or faith. To which one do we give in during difficulties? We can wallow in self-pity or reach out to the anchor of our faith, Jesus. It’s tempting to give up when life is beating us. It is also the easiest thing to do; give up and wallow in self-pity. Is that what God wants us to do, or does He have different plans for us during and after the storm?

When we keep our eyes on Jesus, He will be the anchor of our faith, no matter how severe our challenges are.

How do you trust God in the midst of a storm?

When life looks like a threatening blizzard, with no way out, it can be a challenge to continue trusting God. After all, why does God allow storms in our life?

Hebrew 12 verse 2 makes it clear what the Bible says about storms in our lives; we should keep our eyes on Jesus and Jesus alone!  

“We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne. Think of all the hostility he endured from sinful people; then you won’t become weary and give up.”

Hebrews 12:2-3 (NLT)

By holding our eyes on Jesus, we automatically take them off our problems. The Bible says in Hebrews 12 that Jesus is the perfecter of our faith. So we don’t have to worry about how to trust God in our storm as long as we keep looking at Jesus. He started our faith and will perfect our faith. Often, storms come into our lives to test us and through them, we learn to trust God.

Hebrews 12 also states that we won’t become weary or give up when we observe the strength of Jesus kept during all the challenges of His life on earth. We can use His example to help us overcome and continue to trust God.

By keeping our eye fixed on Jesus, we will grasp our future

It is crucial to keep our eyes on Jesus, otherwise, we won’t see beyond the storm. We should know that God holds our future, that alone should be an encouragement not to give up. Having a future means that there will be an end to the storm. It will not last forever. Why then would we pay so much attention to it?

It is vital to lift our eyes from our problems and up to our creator. God created everything which is created (Colossians 1:16). We can trust Him with our lives. He is our anchor in the storm. Instead of wallowing in self-pity and holding onto our fears, it is important to make the choice to let go and reach out to Jesus, the anchor of our souls. It is then we will see the future God has prepared for us.

Jesus, the anchor of our soul in the storms of life

Imagine being in a rough sea with dumping waves all around you, breaking with tremendous force and throwing you to the bottom. As a result, these rolling waves engulf you totally. That happens when your life is in ‘rough weather. Calamities occur all around us, shaking us totally. We think we reached the bottom of our lives without being able to get up. This can make us feel hopeless. If we don’t take care, the waves take control of our lives.

In a situation like that, no one denies we are in trouble. Neither should we deny our oppressing situation. Faith is not the same as denying that our situation is bad. Faith is declaring the good news of God’s word in our critical situation and holding on to Jesus by fixing our eyes on Him. Jesus is our assurance, the anchor of our faith.

When in a crisis, being tossed up and down by powerful waves, do we pay attention to the billows or to the anchor? This important choice is ours to make. It will determine the outcome of the storm: whether it will throw us down completely or whether we come victoriously. That is why it is important to keep your eyes on Jesus.

What does the Bible say about being in a storm?

Focusing on the storm paralyzes us, leading to disaster. We can think of Peter who walked on water but started sinking immediately when he looked around at the strong wind and the waves (Matthew 14:29-30) instead of keeping his eyes on Jesus. He became terrified at once and sank.

We should consider why he could walk on water. That was solely because he kept His eyes on Jesus. He only sank when he moved his focus away from Jesus. The good news is that immediately when he shouted, “Save me, Lord!”, Jesus reached out and grabbed him (Matthew 14:31). Again, that is why it is important to keep our eyes on Jesus.

Why should we focus on Jesus?

When a ship is in a storm, the anchor is firmly fixed and thrown into the sea, holding it positioned. As Christian women, we have the strongest anchor that exists: Jesus. Jesus is our hope and anchor keeping us alive amid the storms, no matter how severe the storm is. Because no wave can ever move Jesus. He is the only one who can keep us safe and lead us through the storm.

“This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the Presence behind the veil.”

Hebrews 6:19 (NLT)

So, when the storms of life hit you, reach out to your anchor, use it, and wait patiently till the storm is over. Don’t panic, but keep your eyes on Jesus. It is then that your soul is:

“safely moored, ’twill the storm withstand, for ’tis well secured by the Savior’s hand; And the cables passed from His heart to mine, can defy the blast, through strength divine”. Priscilla Jane Owens (1882).

Dealing with storms of life

Instead of panicking, we should hold on to Jesus, and hold on to our faith. This is easier said than done, but not impossible. Because we have an all-powerful God for whom nothing is impossible. He gave us the strength to do all things through Christ (Philippians 4:13). He will provide us with the strength to withstand the challenges and emerge victorious.

We can deal with a storm when we receive directions from God. He knows the end from the beginning and can guide us when we listen to Him. Hearing God in the storm is possible if we focus on God and not on our problems. He designed our lives and will ensure we will reach our expected end.

“That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day. For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.”

2 Corinthians 4:16-18 (NLT)

We can deal with any storm in our lives by keeping our eyes on the hope of a life after this present life. We don’t live in our mortal bodies forever. When we compare our current troubles to the eternal glory of being with Jesus, we can face the storm.

Jesus is our hope in the storm

Jesus will not let us down. He is the hope that will get us through our storm. We can proclaim:

“O Lord, you alone are my hope. I’ve trusted you, O Lord, from childhood.” Psalm 71:5 (NLT)

We can declare our faith in God. Instead of sitting down and doing nothing than looking at the storm and feeling sorry for ourselves, we can get up, address the situation, and affirm the Word of God over the storm and our lives. By proclaiming the verse in Psalm 71 aloud, we address our spirit and soul and encourage ourselves during any threatening situation. It lifts us up and enables us to see the end of the storm.

We can hold on to our faith and keep our eyes on Jesus. That is how we receive strength to go on and it is then that we can see the end is near.

Let’s pray

Lord, I affirm no matter the situation I find myself in, I will trust in You and keep my eye fixed on Jesus, the anchor of my soul. I am frightened by what is happening. I won’t deny it, but I won’t give up. You are my hope. I will hold on to You because I know You will save me even if everything looks lost.

Forgive me for initially focusing on the storm and everything around me, instead of lifting my eyes up to You, my only safety. Please, I am sorry.

I choose to focus on You and declare that You are my only hope. I fasten myself firmly to You and know that I will survive this storm triumphantly. Thank You, Lord, for my deliverance. Thank you for leading me through this storm and bringing me to the expected end. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.