“I will lift up my eyes to the mountains. From where shall my help come? My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth.”
Psalms 121:1-2
During my time at Bible School in my early twenties, I learned a valuable lesson about lifting my eyes up to the mountains, Jesus Christ, our solid rock.
Our leadership class went on a retreat to the amazing coastal town of Tofino, BC, Canada. Tofino, in my opinion, is among the most beautiful places on earth, with its breathtaking ocean view and lush rain forests. While there, we were treated to a whale-watching experience. Despite having gone whale watching before to catch a glimpse of orca whales, witnessing grey whales and humpbacks in their natural habitat for the first time was very exciting for me!
A little bit of backstory… I have a tendency to get motion sickness. Like really bad motion sickness. I usually aim to sit in the front or middle seat of a vehicle so I can see where we are headed and avoid getting nauseous. When I ride on a train, I always make sure I am facing the direction the train is traveling. I don’t do rollercoasters. During my first whale-watching experience, all the seats were positioned facing the front of the boat. On this excursion though, the seats were facing out to the sides. I was fine on the way out to where the whales had last been seen, but then we stopped and were rolling with the waves.
Then I got sick. I “fed the fishes” as my friends so kindly put it (meaning I puked multiple times over the side of the boat!). On our way back to the station, I remember our guide telling me to keep my eyes focused on the mountains and not the waves crashing around us. The mountains are unmoving, fixed, and solid. As long as I lifted my eyes to the mountains, I was ok. As soon as I looked away, another wave of nausea would hit.
In Matthew 14:25-31, Jesus calls Peter out of the boat to walk on the water with him. Peter went and walked on the water. “But when he saw the strong wind and the waves, he was terrified and began to sink.” He took his eyes off of Jesus who is immovable, fixed, solid, and unchanging and he started sinking, just like a mountain on the horizon.
How true is this in our lives? As soon as we take our eyes off Christ and see the waves and turmoil and unknown swirling around us, it gets overwhelming and too much for us to handle. It can make us sick with anxiety and fear. We get drowned by the waves and troubles. But if we keep our eyes fixed on him, keep our eyes lifted up to the mountains, everything will be ok. The journey might still be rough and bumpy, but we can trust in him completely.
I am so thankful that God is unchanging and that we can keep our eyes fixed on him who is in control, and not on the circumstances around us. He is our Solid Rock. He made the heavens and the earth, and he will help us in our times of trouble. After all, he is the one who calms the sea (Matthew 8:24-27)
I am so thankful that God is unchanging and that we can keep our eyes fixed on him who is in control and not on the circumstances around us.
When Grace Becomes Gratitude
