WHAT SEEST THOU?

WHAT SEEST THOU?

Jer 1:11 Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Jeremiah, what seest thou? And I said, I see a rod of an almond tree. 12 Then said the LORD unto me, Thou hast well seen: for I will hasten my word to perform it. 13 And the word of the LORD came unto me the second time, saying, What seest thou? And I said, I see a seething pot; and the face thereof is toward the north.

Jeremiah was one of the prophets that God threw this question to. In the passage above He asked the question two times.

What you see affects your thinking, controlled by your understanding and also affects your actions and reactions.

Your brain interprets what your eyes see on the bases of your knowledge in that direction.

You can over estimate or underestimate what you see according to the level of your knowledge and understanding on those areas.

We see with our physical eyes as well as with our inner eyes.

Your perception in life is very critical to your survival. What do you see and how do you see them?

• Abraham at the age of 75 was childless, do you see that as failure?
• Isaac at the age of 60 was childless, do you see him as a failure?
• Joseph became a slave and later on a prisoner, was that failure?
• What shall we say about Moses who had to go to the wilderness for 40 years, shall we say that he had failed?

Let us see some cases in the Bible for understanding.

GOLIATH

1Sam 17:42 And when the Philistine looked about, and saw David, he disdained him: for he was but a youth, and ruddy, and of a fair countenance. 43 And the Philistine said unto David, Am I a dog that thou comest to me with staves? And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. 44 And the Philistine said to David, Come to me, and I will give thy flesh unto the fowls of the air, and to the beasts of the field. 45 Then said David to the Philistine, Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied. 46 This day will the LORD deliver thee into mine hand; and I will smite thee, and take thine head from thee; and I will give the carcases of the host of the Philistines this day unto the fowls of the air, and to the wild beasts of the earth; that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. 47 And all this assembly shall know that the LORD saveth not with sword and spear: for the battle is the LORD’S, and he will give you into our hands.

Goliath saw an unarmed boy coming to fight him. He disdained him. He did not know that it was the Almighty that was coming to fight him.

A well-equipped, seriously experienced man lost his life in the hand of a boy without weapons because of what he saw and how he interpreted what he saw.

MOABITES

2Ki 3:20 And it came to pass in the morning, when the meat offering was offered, that, behold, there came water by the way of Edom, and the country was filled with water. 21 And when all the Moabites heard that the kings were come up to fight against them, they gathered all that were able to put on armour, and upward, and stood in the border. 22 And they rose up early in the morning, and the sun shone upon the water, and the Moabites saw the water on the other side as red as blood: 23 And they said, This is blood: the kings are surely slain, and they have smitten one another: now therefore, Moab, to the spoil. 24 And when they came to the camp of Israel, the Israelites rose up and smote the Moabites, so that they fled before them: but they went forward smiting the Moabites, even in their country.

The Moabites saw water and because of the reflections of the sun, they called it blood. On the battle field, the only liquid they wanted to see was blood. So they thought that they saw blood. They could have sent some spies to go and find out but rather they based their judgment on what they thought they saw. Their defeat bore testimony to their foolishness.

From these two examples and other cases, we can say that the elements that affect our sight are knowledge and understanding, previous experiences and obedience to God who said – Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith … Hebrews 12:2

At the Red Sea, the Israelites saw Red Sea which was a hindrance and Pharaoh and his army pursuing them so they cried. Moses saw all that they saw and much more and that is why the Bible says that  – By faith he (Moses) forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king: for he endured, as seeing him who is invisible. Hebrews 11:27 

Since Moses was looking at the Invisible God, Pharaoh and his army were not a problem for him. The Red Sea would be a walk-over. Even before he prayed, he started to encourage them that their God would fight for them.

When others do not react in the way you are reacting and they are telling you to relax, you normally think and sometimes you say it out that it is because they do not see what you saw. No, they saw it but they also saw the Invisible.

If you concentrate more on Jesus, His promises and ability, the way you see things will change.

You will see problems as fore-runner of your miracles. You will see challenges as another opportunity for God to show His greatness.

Whatever had been raising your blood pressure, use Jesus as the binocular to look at every one of them and you will smile because your God is bigger than your problems.