Thine eyes shall see the king in his beauty: they shall behold the land that is very far off. (Isaiah 33:17) 

 

Amy Carmichael (1867–1951) is known for her work of rescuing orphaned girls in India and giving them a new life. In the midst of this exhausting work there were times she called “moments of vision.” In her book Gold by Moonlight, she wrote, “In the midst of a crowded day we are given almost a glimpse of ‘the land of far distances,’ and we stand still, arrested on the road.” 

 

The prophet Isaiah spoke of a time when God’s rebellious people would turn back to Him. “Thine eyes shall see the king in his beauty: they shall behold the land that is very far off” (Isaiah 33:17). To view this “land that is very far off” is to be lifted above the circumstances of the immediate present and to gain an eternal perspective. During difficult times, the Lord enables us to see our lives from His viewpoint and regain hope. “For the Lord is our judge, the Lord is our lawgiver, the Lord is our king; he will save us” (v. 22). 

 

Each day, we can choose to look down in discouragement or lift our eyes to “the land that is very far off,” to “the glorious Lord who will be unto us a place of broad rivers and streams” (v. 21). 

 

Amy Carmichael spent more than fifty years in India helping young women in great need. How did she do it? Each day she fixed her eyes on Jesus and placed her life in His care. And so can we. 

 

Lord, today we lift our eyes from the circumstances that discourage us to see You in Your splendor, and find peace. Amen. 

 

This devotion is just what I needed and I pray it blesses you today. I am reminded of a beautiful hymn, Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in His wonderful face, and the things of earth will grow strangely dim, in the light of His glory and grace. No matter what we face we can choose to focus on the circumstances that discourage us or lift our eyes to see His splendor and find peace. It’s our choice, which will you choose today? Fix your eyes on Jesus! 

 

Have a beautiful day in The Lord! 

 

Today’s Reading is 2 Chronicles 7:14