Our dinner group met tonight. We sat around the table, ate a great meal together, then shared some of the blessings and challenges we've been facing, some of which was pretty soul-wrenching stuff. As the evening drew to a close, I had the responsibility and privilege as host to pull it all together in prayer. My experience has been that when people are going through especially challenging difficulties, it becomes easy for those problems to block our view of God. We don't intend for that to happen; we actually bring our concerns to him in prayer, but often the concern looms larger in our minds and hearts than does God.
If I hold up a quarter to the sun, they don't appear to be much different in size. If I hold the quarter an inch from my eye, it completely blocks my view of the sun. Anyone knows that the sun is billions of times bigger than my quarter, but if that quarter is close enough, it can keep me from seeing that which is larger by enormous degrees of magnitude.
When our problems block our view of Christ, it isn't because they're bigger than he, but because they are closer than he. The answer is not begging God for a solution to the problem, but getting Christ between ourselves and the problem. He's always bigger, so it's no problem. Getting my focus off the problem and onto Christ is always the answer. Getting Christ between ourselves and the problem is always the answer. Seeing Christ for who he is, risen, ascended, seated at the right hand of the Father with all authority and majesty is the answer.
I am grateful tonight for the privilege of praying for my friends, for being able to place their problems in perspective before the majesty of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ.
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