WEEK ONE: DON’T BE AFRAID

This past fall, I had the opportunity to go to western Colorado on an elk hunt. As in most hunting scenarios, the best time to hunt elk is early in the morning (before the flow of air or thermals shift and blow your scent toward where the animals are) or later in the afternoon or evening (before they shift again). This means that some of the prime time is also during the lowest light of the day, making it harder to see… especially with aging eyes. On one particular day, I hadn’t had much luck and it was getting dark, so we made one last call and began to make our way back to the vehicle. Just then a bull elk let out a distinctive bugle, and we realized that somehow it had moved around us and was coming toward the water hole that we were moving toward.

It was almost totally dark when we approached the water, and my hunting partner motioned for me to stop. He told me the elk was just out in front of us (about 75 – 80 yards away), but I was not able to see it in the low light.  He told me to scan the skyline because it was right there looking at us. My response was, “I don’t see it. All I can see is a tree.” It wasn’t until I raised my binoculars (ones that draw light and clear up focus) that I realized the elk was standing among some bushes, and what I thought was a tree was actually his antlers!

Often life can be a lot like me trying to see that bull elk in low light. Our vision is very limited, and because we cannot see everything clearly, we can begin to worry about what we cannot see. We become consumed with a “worst case scenario” mindset that will consume our thoughts and choke out our faith. Repeatedly we look hard, straining to see when we can’t we begin to think about what might happen. That is the bad news, but here is the good news: our vision is not God’s vision!

God sees beyond the darkness we see. He knows beyond what is in front of us right now, and just like in the scripture this week, he is saying to us, “Don’t be afraid; don’t worry. I’ve got this. Even if you can’t see it right now, I’ll take care of you.” We just simply need to refocus on God, get our eyes off of the immediate, and look into the future that God has for us.

Just like those binoculars let me see that elk standing there in the dark, refocusing our focus on God will allow us to rest in his provision, his plans, and his protection for our future. Will you let him help you refocus so that worry can be replaced with his rest?