Daily Affirmations - Day 4 - Lowly and Victorious

Day 4: For the Joy

For the joy set before Him [Jesus] endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God (Hebrews 12:2).

Our Father, our God, How priceless is Your unfailing love... with You is the fountain of life; in Your light we see light (Psalm 36:7,9).

On our own, we cannot see in the darkness— cannot navigate through the twists and turns, the ups and downs of this life. We are perturbed by the narrow passes, paralyzed by the dark valleys, shaken by the slippery slopes. We are confused by the mazes, distracted by the frenzies, sidetracked by the shallows.

But You urge us to turn our eyes towards the light, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter (author and finisher) of our faith (Hebrews 12:2) — the One who told us, "I am the Light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life" (John 8:12).

O Lord, Your eyes are pure, Your vision perfect. Only You could look past a barbarous cross, a crown of thorns, the scorn of criminals, a crowd of mockers— and see an empty tomb, a crown of glory, the praise of heaven, a throng of worshippers, redeemed from every nation, tribe and tongue.

Where veiled human eyes could only see curse, abject lowliness, suffering, shame, You saw deliverance, victorious greatness, triumph. While the world sank into darkness and despair, You looked only to the joy set before You.

Jesus, You are our blessed example, the One who calls us to faith, the One who will complete and perfect faith in us. Be Thou our vision. Heal our eyes. Train them to look up and away from the chaos and the turmoil, the blitzes and the distractions, the despair and the dejection of our light and momentary troubles (2 Corinthians 4:17). And turn our gaze away from the mesmerizing attractions of life, which are but a mirage.

Give us eyes of faith to see past the entanglements of this world— to the great cloud of witnesses that surround us (Hebrews 12:1), to the eternal weight of glory (2 Corinthians 4:17), to the Spirit's revelation of “What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived”— the things God has prepared for those who love Him (1 Corinthians 2:9). To Jesus, our joy.