What if we stared at God every moment of our day? The Bible tells us we should fix our eyes on Jesus (Hebrews 12:1-2), but how often do we make a conscious effort to do that? More importantly, what does that look like in real life? I’ve recently been trying to work this out for myself. The key is to first get a proper mental image of God. Check out Revelation 4:8-11, where it describes angels who do nothing but praise God, all day. They are so consumed with His beauty that they can do nothing else. God is the perfection of all that is good. He is perfect and unconditional love, and is constantly in pursuit of you, reaching out to you. Look at Isaiah 6:3-5, where the prophet feels ruined just from looking at the beauty of God. Keep that picture of God at the forefront of your mind.
When talking to someone, I am trying to almost look through them and picture God with His arms wrapped around them in an embrace. He loves them and finds them of infinite value, regardless of what I might think of them. This not only helps give me a proper perspective of others, it also serves as a reminder of how God feels about me. It’s difficult to respond harshly or feel anger towards someone when you see the Creator of the Universe enveloping them in His love.
The times we spend alone with our thoughts have the potential to be dangerous for us. What do we think about that no one else will ever know? In what ways do we allow Satan to infiltrate the most intimate places of our mind? The ultimate protection is to stare at God. Bring back the picture of Him mentioned above. Focus on His beauty. It might prove disruptive to your thoughts, but I guarantee this will be more worthwhile than anything else on which you were focusing.
It is inevitable that we will face trials in our lives. Again, practice staring at God in these difficult times. The hardships of this world melt away when viewed in light of eternity. They are temporary and no match for the power of Christ. Through Him we can conquer anything because He is with us. We are never alone. Stare at God and recognize that this is what we were meant to do, and what we will do, for all of eternity. What does it really matter what happens in these few short days right now?
The beauty of God is more than we can bear. He is too magnificent, too holy. But it is in staring at our Savior that we discover the true purpose for our life. We were designed to be in relationship with Him, to love Him, and to honor Him. When you talk to someone, stare at God. When you are alone you’re your thoughts, stare at God. When trials arise, stare at God. What is most incredible of all is that when we dare to stare at God, we will discover that He is staring back.