Devotional Day 5: A Paradigm Shift
Scriptures
Ezekiel 37:1-14
Matthew 9:18-26
Isaiah 43:19
The more I study the Bible, the deeper I begin to understand the power of perspective. Jesus was constantly seeing situations differently from how the people around Him were. In Matthew 9, a synagogue leader comes to Jesus with bold faith and asks Jesus to put His hand on his dead daughter, believing that with a touch from God, she could live again. When Jesus arrives at the man's house, a crowd of people have already gathered and are loudly mourning the girl's death. A sense of complete hopelessness permeates the house. Jesus' response to the people there gives us a glimpse into His perspective on the situation. He tells them, "Go away. The girl is not dead but asleep."
Where they saw death, Jesus saw life. Where they saw impossibility, Jesus saw possibility. Where they saw hopelessness, Jesus saw hope.
The people immediately respond in disbelief. They laugh at Jesus in contempt and incredulity. It's easy to read this story and think, "How could they?"; yet we often get caught with the same attitude. Jesus gives us a promise and we think there's no way on earth it could happen. There's the catch: Jesus doesn't operate from an earthly perspective, He lives in a heavenly dimension. We see things in the natural, He sees them from the SUPERnatural.
Think about how many times people in the bible, men and women had a wrong perspective:
Ezekiel saw a valley of dry bones. God saw an army.
Sarah saw a barren womb. God saw an opportunity for a miracle.
Mary and Martha saw a loss. God saw new life.
People saw a dead man. God saw a resurrected Savior.
Friend, I believe God is asking us today, "What do you SEE?". The problem is not what we think it is. The problem is our perspective on it. Let's decide in our hearts to evaluate our view of God, our view of ourselves, and our view of our situation. If you're not seeing these three key things in the right light, then it's time for a perspective shift. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, you can see your mess as a masterpiece in the making!
Prayer: Lord, please open my spiritual eyes and help me see things the way You see them. Give me a heavenly perspective. I ask that You would become greater and that I would become less according to John 3:30. Teach me to realign my thoughts, words, and sight the way You want me to. I don't want to miss the masterpiece that you are designing out of my life because I had the wrong perspective. I love You, I trust You, and give all that I am to You. In Jesus' name, amen.
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