FOCUS: Eye Opening Faith

by Joan Vetter

Have you seen those inkblot pictures where you are supposed to find the face of Jesus?

Depending on where your eyes focus, suddenly He becomes clear. And then you wonder why you didn’t see Him at first because now you can’t see anything but Jesus!

The beginning of “faith” is always to SEE Jesus. How do we begin? First, ask yourself if you have truly encountered Him? Sometimes the road to real faith is to ask real questions. For instance when Jesus said to Nicodemus, “You must be born again.” Nicodemus gave an honest answer: “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?”

As Jesus converses with Nicodemus, His words are now one of the most-quoted Bible verses: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16) We aren’t told if Nicodemus truly understood what Jesus spoke, but somehow I believe He did. My question to you is, “Have you been born again?”

Is your faith picture coming into focus? Have you gotten to the place where you can say, “Yes, I see Him”?

A friend of mine wrote the following poem that describes what it’s like to meet Jesus.

The Man Above All Men P. A. Oltrogge, 2005

Have you met up with Jesus?
He’s your kind of Man…
Came down here from heaven,
Carrying out God’s mighty plan.
He’s still here today,
Capturing hearts, lives and souls,
Giving all whom He touches much worthier goals.
He doesn’t actually show up in visible form,
But you’re aware of His presence
When prayer becomes norm.
And some have had visions
Or have seen Him in dreams,
And what they remember is the love that He beams…
That’s also reflected in the Words of His book,
The renowned Holy Bible is the right place to look.
You might think you know
What could give you life’s best,
But those who follow His lead are on a sure quest.
He wants to increase your every potential,
But living for Him and others is essential.
Dedicating all that you have to Him is not loss –
The best in mind for you is why He died on the cross.

I remember so clearly the day I met Jesus. It was Easter. We had four children under 5 years old. My husband traveled all week, and I truly needed an Easter resurrection in my life. I thought I believed in Jesus, but I needed something more – something viable to give me strength and direction.

I went to hear my neighbor’s son-in-law speak at a local church. There I saw people praying for one another. I felt love in that place, and I heard the speaker’s compelling message about leaving his wealthy family’s brick business to go into the inner city and work with poor kids.

The next day I called my Methodist pastor, asking him to come see me. As we talked in my living room, I found myself spilling out my doubts about the Bible and asking my pastor how we can really know that Jesus rose from the dead.

I remember thinking I shouldn’t be saying this to a pastor! He just smiled at me and said, “I’ll pray for you and the Holy Spirit will show you.” He said a quick prayer and left. Immediately I picked up my Bible, and when I read the words about Jesus in the Book of John, suddenly I knew they were true. There was a light present at that moment and the feeling of love like I have never experienced. For two weeks the trees were greener, the sky brighter, and the whole world was bathed in love.

After we are reconciled to the Father’s love through Jesus, we begin to focus on loving Him and loving others, thereby beginning to bear fruit. At this point it is the Word we focus on – still asking honest questions because God’s Word tells us in James 1:5, If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.

Often the very question you’ve asked will suddenly be answered as you are focusing on the Word. Remember it is the Holy Spirit who illuminates the Word, or words people speak, to bring into focus something you are asking for. For instance, when we were planning to move to Arlington, Texas, I felt like the Lord prompted me to sell our Florida home, using the By Owner format. As the time got closer to our move I began to get anxious, so I asked the Lord for a confirmation that we really were suppose to sell By Owner. Then Hebrews 10:37 came to me – “For yet a little while, and he who is coming will come and will not tarry.”

Now the true meaning of that verse is that Jesus is coming back, but the Holy Spirit used it to speak to me to stay the course – that the buyer for our home would come in a little while. After that I had peace until the day a Real Estate Agent came and put in an offer for himself. The contract he brought was perfect, with a closing date that was right after we closed on our home in Arlington!

If we focus on circumstances or ourselves, we can get so discouraged. We’re pretty good at pointing out all our inadequacies and problems, and the devil loves to come into agreement with us. I love to pray often “Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done”.

Of course there are those times when our circumstances seem insurmountable – we can’t see the end, and have no clue how God will change things or intervene in the situation. That is a time to focus on hope. In Hebrews 6:19 the Bible says “This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the Presence behind the veil, where the forerunner has entered for us, even Jesus.” It is our soul (mind, will and emotions) that needs to be stabilized. Just think about it – by faith we can cast an anchor to where Jesus dwells, and then our soul doesn’t drift, but remains steady.

We can pray like the psalmist, “Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God; for I shall yet praise Him, the help of my countenance and my God.” (Ps. 42:11)

Sometimes when we should focus on Jesus Christ, our vision becomes blurred— as though we had spiritual cataracts. Our future looks fuzzy and unclear. In those moments of blurry vision, it’s time to praise God and go back to the “map” – the Word of God.

Sometimes I wish God was more like a GPS system – where we could just type in our day and watch and listen to His directions step-by-step. I remember a shopping trip to K-Mart when we lived in Ohio. As I stepped into the area where the automatic doors opened, I had this impression from the Lord, “You could have just been a step away and prayed for the doors to open, but they wouldn’t have opened because you needed to get in the right position.” Suddenly I realized prayer is not demanding my own way – but stepping into the presence of God and co-operating with Him.

Have you seen Him? Are you focusing on Him? If so, then others will see Him in You.