Eyes on the Prize

Zechariah 2: ¹⁰ “Shout and be glad, Daughter Zion. For I am coming, and I will live among you,” declares the Lord. ¹¹ “Many nations will be joined with the Lord in that day and will become my people. I will live among you and you will know that the Lord Almighty has sent me to you. ¹² The Lord will inherit Judah as his portion in the holy land and will again choose Jerusalem. ¹³ Be still before the Lord, all mankind, because he has roused himself from his holy dwelling.”

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Desperate for a little cash, I entered the tournament hoping to have one of those movie like endings. I was doing great that day and just knew I would win the cash prize. Unfortunately, the guy next to me was performing with perfection. He not only won the cash prize, but the car that went along with it!

• Many times I have missed out on the prize.
• Many times I put my hopes in a prize and lost.
• Many times I did not get what I sought out for.

Disillusioned was the feeling as I used my last few dollars in a longshot. I went home dejected. “How am I going to make it now?” I cried out. I had my eyes on that prize and I did not get it.

• GOD said to me “Shout and be glad for I AM coming to live with you.”
• GOD said to me “You will become MY people.”
• GOD said to me “Be still before ME because I have roused MYSELF from MY holy dwelling.”

My heart was not at peace. I was looking at the current bill of the day and not looking at the true prize, namely JESUS. It is easier said than done to not worry about finances and only focus on GOD, but it had to happen in order for me to gain peace. I got on my knees in a very rare moment of prayer and said “Help!”

Somehow, everything worked out just fine. GOD gave me just enough to keep going and push through that bleak time. HE wanted me to put my trust in HIM and not my abilities. HE tells me to “shout and be glad” even when I don’t feel like it. This enables me to keep my eyes on HIM rather than focusing on bleak situations. HE has never let me down when I look at HIM!

• Are you focused on a bleak situation?
• Do you think you will never get out of this hole?
• Can you stop focusing in on the situation long enough to look at GOD?
• Will you take a moment to shout, be glad and “be still” before the LORD?