SWORD OF THE SPIRIT                                                                                               1217

“Look To Me”

Turn to me and be saved, all the ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other. – Isaiah 45:22

The Hebrew word ‘panah’ is rendered ‘turn’ and ‘look’ by various translations. It means ‘to turn, to face back’. The implication is that we are going in the wrong direction.

All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—everyone—to his own way; … – Isaiah 53:6

To what or whom do we turn when we are troubled? Where do we look for help?

Are you restless, downcast, and in inner turmoil? Turn to God. Look to Jesus and place your hope in Him.

Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation – Psalm 42:5

Are you stressed out? Do you find yourself seeking to self-medicate with drugs, alcohol, and stress-eating comfort food? Turn from the temporal things of the world and look to Jesus for a lasting peace.

Peace, I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. – John 14:27

Are you worried, anxious, and fearful about the future, what you are facing at work, exams to take, or potential conflict you will be facing?

It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.” – Deuteronomy 31:8

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. …casting all your anxieties on him because he cares for you. – Philippians 4:6; 1 Peter 5:6-7

Are you facing a health issue? Seek medical attention, for the Lord has provided and gifted doctors and nurses with His wisdom. Yet, all the while continue to look to Jesus for His healing touch.

Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. – James 5:14

Are you concerned about your eternal destination? Is there a hunger in your soul that needs to be satisfied? Turn away from all that the world and false doctrines offer as ‘another way’ to eternal life and look only to Jesus.

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. I am the Lord, and there is no other, besides me there is no God; You shall have no other gods before me. – John 14:6; Isaiah 45:5; Exodus 20:3

Charles Spurgeon came to Christ on Sunday, January 6, 1850, as a young teenager.  He had a hunger in his spirit for God and a repentant heart for his sin. He found a small church whose pastor was delayed because of the heavy snowstorm that day. A deacon stepped up, unschooled and unprepared to preach a powerful sermon. The deacon read our reference Scripture from Isaiah 45:22 ‘Look to Me and be saved…’. God’s Word fueled by His Holy Spirit changed Spurgeon’s eternal destiny that day.

May you turn and look to Jesus for salvation and help in every aspect of your life, now and for eternity.

Therefore … let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely … looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith…. – Hebrews 12:1-2