What Do You See?
by Jilly Lyon-Taylor
Often when I am walking my dog in the countryside, God speaks to me through what I see. However, I wonder how often He is wanting to show me something but I am too preoccupied with my own thoughts or concerns to notice what He is saying!
Several times in the first chapter of Jeremiah the Lord uses the word “See”. He asks Jeremiah in today’s verses, “What do you see?” There then follows a play on words, because the Hebrew for almond tree is very similar to the one for watching. God wants Jeremiah to notice the almond tree to remind him that He is watching over His word to fulfil it.
God’s word is fixed and firm, and His promises will never fail. However, we sometimes need reminding to hold on to them in faith, trusting that God will see that they are fulfilled. We need to see with the eyes of faith what God is doing, but often all we see are the troubles and difficulties that beset us all.
When Moses sent representatives of the tribes of Israel into the Promised Land, to spy it out and report back, there were ten of them who could only see negatives (Numbers 13-14). They didn’t see the fruitfulness of the land, or the fact that they would be going with God’s protection and power. All they could see were the obstacles and their own inferiority – that the people seemed like giants and that they seemed like grasshoppers in comparison! They were definitely “glass half empty” people!
What about you today? What do you see? Do you see the glass as half full or half empty? Are you focussing on the trials and difficulties in your life, or do you see God, knowing that He is at work, watching over His word for your life to fulfil it? Perhaps there is something He wants to show you today.
Prayer: Lord, please forgive me for focusing on the problems in my life, rather than on You. I want to see things as You see them, and to know that You are watching over Your word for my life to see it fulfilled. Thank You for all Your promises. I trust You. Amen.
Jilly Lyon-Taylor is part of the Leadership Team at Ellel Pierrepont. She worked in publishing and then with children in Hong Kong before concentrating on being a full-time mother and serving in the local church. Her desire to see people healed led her to the Luke Nine Eleven Training Scheme(NETS) at Pierrepont, and now she teaches and ministers there.
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