Look Up!

I love the song, "Praise You in This Storm" by Casting Crowns. Today I was singing it - after a stormy couple of days of my own - and I desperately wanted to find the verse that is the bridge of that song. Like so many verses, I've heard it over and over again, but I never took the time to find out where it was from.

Today I did.

Psalm 121
I lift up my eyes to the hills— 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.

As I've battled over the last decade with this depression "thing," I've spent a lot of time looking away. Literally and figuratively. It has been an act of will in the last three years to make eye contact again.

And then I started thinking about my contact with God. In my spirit, most of the time, I am still looking at my feet and hiding my eyes from my Creator. I am still ashamed to approach Him. I am still afraid to see me in His eyes.

And there's the catch. When you look at someone in the eye you not only see into them, you see what they see in you. Scary stuff for me. Especially when I've said more than I meant to or someone knows more than I want them to.

But how can I see everything the Lord has to offer me if I am always looking down? How can I truly trust God if I'm not willing to lift my eyes up to look at Him?

Look up! God knows all of my dirt. He knew the path my life would take before time began. There isn't anything in me that He hasn't seen. And He loves me anyway.

Look up! The God I serve turns ashes into beauty and washes me with His blood. He looks at me and sees HIMSELF in me. His power made perfect in my weakness.

Look up! When I am walking with God I don't have to watch my step or hide in shame or worry about tomorrow. All I have to do is look up and trust Him. He doesn't get tired and He'll take care of the rest.