God in our viewfinder
September 3, 2007
By Randy Mantik
A fellow minister at a prayer retreat I attended last year has had me thinking lately about being centered on Christ and developing a close, sweet relationship with Him. When I heard the phrase “God in our viewfinder” at the retreat, it resounded in my spirit and I grabbed my notebook and wrote it down.
The man who said it has a keen interest in photography and is very good at it. He knows a lot about framing a shot and keeping the subject in the right place in the viewfinder. I, on the other hand, don’t know much about photography. As I listened to him, I brought his idea down to the bare bones: When something’s not in our viewfinder, it’s hard to get a picture of it!
Let’s say someone is taking in a beautiful mountain vista and they exclaim, “Look, what a beautiful view!” You, however, are protesting indignantly, “Where? I can’t see any view!” as you are staring steadfastly at the cracks in the ground.
Similarly, if someone says to you, “Isn’t God great!” you might respond, “Where? I don’t see any great God. All I see is a tough life that just goes on and on.”
Look up. Catch a higher view. Get God in your viewfinder!
Perhaps you’ve fallen prey to one of Satan’s favorite tricks. He tries to get us to focus on some aspect of God’s activity that appears unfair from our limited point of view. Satan can take even the most idyllic situation and redirect our “viewfinder” toward one tiny difficulty in an attempt to turn us against God.
There is a prime example in Genesis 3. Adam and Eve were living in the Garden of Eden. God had made them a wonderful home! In fact, it was perfect! Things couldn’t have been any better! Yet Satan influenced them to take their focus off the wonderful relationship and fellowship they had with God and each other.
“Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, ‘Did God really say, “You must not eat from any tree in the garden” ’?” (Genesis 3:1, NIV).
Satan blinded Adam and Eve to the perfection and bountiful blessing surrounding them on every side. He convinced them to focus instead on the one tree God said was not for them.
Sadly enough, we humans have been whining and complaining about God’s “unfair” treatment of us ever since. The viewfinder of our souls is perpetually foggy and out of focus. We need to get God back in our viewfinder!
I recently watched a movie based on a true story about a pilot who lost his way in the ocean surrounding New Zealand. He was in a small plane on Christmas Eve and he had lost the ability to navigate by instruments, including his compass. He was miles off course, low on fuel, and a storm was coming. However, he still had his radio and called “Mayday!”
The crew of a large commercial aircraft finally picked up his signal. Though they had no visual contact, the commercial pilot began to talk the lost pilot through, encouraging him to stay in the air instead of giving up and ditching the plane into the ocean, which seemed the only logical thing to do as conditions worsened. After hours of flying blind, with only the older pilot’s voice to guide him, the lost pilot finally made visual contact and was able to follow the jet into Auckland.
As soon as the jet had reached the ground, the commercial pilot anxiously watched until the other plane landed safely. Then he ran to the small plane and flung open the door. For the first time, the lost pilot was able to look into the face that went along with the voice that guided him through all those terrifying hours. With a huge grin and a tremendous bear hug, the older pilot helped the other man out of the plane, standing with him safe and sound on solid ground.
That creates quite a picture of our relationship with our Heavenly Father, doesn’t it? It’s a powerful lesson of keeping God in our viewfinder, watching and following, carefully listening to His voice, trusting Him even when we can’t see and we’re sure we’re going to have to ditch.
So what keeps us going when all hope seems to be gone? It’s focusing on that moment when we will have finally reached heaven’s solid ground and landed safely for all eternity. In that moment we will know it has been worth it all when we see Him face to face!
That, dear ones, is the best reason to keep God in our viewfinder!
Randy Mantik is senior pastor of Crossroads Church of the Assemblies of God in Pembine, Wis.
“Forgiveness of sin and eternal life are not granted merely for believing in God’s existence and distinguishing right from wrong. Peace with God is obtained only through personal faith in Jesus. The issue is not religion — but relationship.”
“Eternity: Everyone’s Destiny,” Randy Hurst
TPE World Missions Edition, September 2, 2007
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