A Right Perspective

By Beverly Hammett

Several times in the Psalms David cries out to God, “Lead me to the rock that is higher than I.” I have often puzzled over that statement. Why did David pray such a prayer? Then one day I was thinking about a high rock, and I realized that when you are wandering around in the wilderness or the woods, a high rock is useful for climbing up on to get a good perspective. From the top of the rock, you can see not only where you have been, but where you are, where you are going and how to best get there. It helps you to get your bearings.

I wrote last month about contentment and how we need to seek to be content where God has placed us and concentrate on blooming there. This month I would like to look at perspective—because the best way to cultivate an attitude of contentment is by having the right perspective. And a right perspective helps us to see where we have been, where we are going, the best way to get there, and also helps us to keep our bearings on the way.

How do I keep a Godly perspective in my life? I need to remind myself daily—and sometimes more than once a day—that my thinking is messed up. I do this, according to Second Corinthians 10:5 by “Casting down imaginations and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.” In other words, I need to check my thinking to be sure that it lines up with the Word of God. If it does not, then I need to throw it out and replace it with the truth of God’s Word. That is why it is so important for me as a Christian to be immersed in God’s Word every day. If I am not, my wrong thinking will take over, and my perspective will be all messed up.

What are some principles and promises that we find in God’s Word that will help me to keep a right perspective? There are many, but I want to look at a few main ones.

God is sovereign. Everything that happens in the universe is under His control. The Bible puts it this way in Romans 8:28. “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” God has a plan for my life—and it is good. Therefore, I can be assured that everything that God allows to happen in my life is ultimately for my good. It may not seem good when I am in the midst of it, but that is where a right perspective comes in. I need to remind myself that God has a purpose for whatever I am going through and then seek to learn the truths that God is teaching me in any situation.

God is all-powerful and all-knowing. There is nothing that happens in my life that God cannot handle. He is bigger and more powerful than any situation that comes into my life. He knows all things that have happened and what will happen in the future.  I just need to turn to Him for help and guidance, instead of trusting my own knowledge and power.

God is faithful. God does not lie. He always keeps His Word. He never changes. Therefore, I can trust God and I can trust what He says. He will never fail me.

Christians are to live by faith. (Colossians 2:6-7) The promise that God is faithful overrides our natural understanding of any situation. When we, by faith, believe what God says, we see ourselves, our actions, and our future as God sees them. If a man sees the world the way God sees it, many things such as fear, despair, hopelessness, and our feelings of worthlessness will be done away with, instead of being allowed in our life.

This world is only temporary. (Second Peter 3:10-12) Everything that we can see with our eyes and everything that we possess will one day pass away. We like to think our stuff is valuable, but when considered in light of eternity, it is worthless. I was reminded of this truth again recently as we cleaned out our house in preparation for our move to Botswana. It is easy to get attached to things and think that we can’t live without them. I am not saying that it is wrong to have things—but if the things have us, we have put them first in our life before God.

God loves me with an everlasting love. And if you are His child, He loves you too! Therefore, if I am feeling unloved, I need to check out my perspective. I am believing the lie of Satan instead of the truth of God’s Word.

I need to invest my life in sharing the gospel with others. Jesus Christ loved the world and died for all mankind, so that they could be saved from eternity in hell. Every person alive will someday die and stand before God. If they do not have a relationship with God, they will spend eternity in hell. There is nothing that is more important in this life than telling others about the good news of the gospel.

My life is to bring glory to God. (Colossians 3:17) So often I am tempted to live for myself, for what I want. But Christ has purchased me with His blood. I belong to Him, and therefore I should want to serve Him and to please Him, not myself. What a privilege to serve the King of Kings!

These are just a few of the principles and promises from God’s Word that will help me to keep a right perspective—which will help me to make right choices and decisions in my life. As we have made our preparations for our move to Botswana, I have found many times that my wrong thinking has started to cause me to despair, to feel sorry for myself, to feel overwhelmed. As I have stopped and checked my thinking, every time I have found that I have allowed the lies of Satan to creep into my thinking and destroy my peace. A little perspective check now and then is vital to keeping my relationship with the Lord right.

If you find that your Christian life is going nowhere, and you are constantly making wrong choices and decisions, I challenge you to check out your perspective. Are you believing Satan’s lie—or the truth of God’s Word?