Psalm 16:8    Keep focussed
    At the time of writing we stand at the cusp of a New Year. What a verse this is to take forward onto the roller coaster ride that 2019 will inevitably become. “I keep my eyes always on the Lord. With Him at my right hand, I will not be shaken.” 
The ploughman needs to have his eyes fixed on a point on the headland to plough a straight furrow; the ship’s Captain needs to watch the buoys and the lighthouse; the motorist is alert to the road ahead – all of these are so important if we want the journey to go well.  So it is with the man or woman of God, we must keep our eyes on the Lord. Eyes of faith, of trust and of devotion for He alone will take us across the stormy seas that inevitable lie before us. I just watched, on a Shetland Webcam, a ferry crossing the Sound at Lerwick in 70mph gales, the Captain of that boat would certainly have ensured that he was not distracted from the entrance to the port ahead of him. Hebrews 12:1-2 tell us to “Run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.” All of these metaphors remind us that our eyes need to be kept firmly on the Lord who goes before us; He is our source of worship and inspiration; He is our leader and our guide; He is a strength and our security; He is our mentor and our teacher. As soon as our eyes leave Him and turn to another or even to ourselves – danger threatens. 

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