Look Up!
“I lift up my eyes to the mountains—where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.” Psalm 121:1-2 (NASB)
We’d like to start this week’s devotional with a story. Recently, we were driving from Texas to Tennessee. Along the way, in a remote location that might rightly be called “between the middle of nowhere and the other middle of nowhere” we noticed our car was wobbling, and then the indicator light went on – flat tire.
There we were, at least 80 miles to the nearest city and over 600 miles to Nashville with a fully loaded SUV and a temporary spare stowed beneath that luggage in the back. Slowly exiting the highway, we limped along until we found a tiny one-pump gas station where we could unpack the car and change the tire in sweltering heat – even our dog was panting!
Knowing we couldn’t drive on the spare the full distance to Tennessee and couldn’t drive safely over 45 miles an hour, we grew frustrated! And because it was a Saturday, the nearest major tire store in the next town 80 miles away was … closed. When we asked the gas station attendant if there was tire store nearby where we could purchase a new tire, no luck.
We were resigned to extending our travel by an additional two days until a tire store opened, when we both just stopped and prayed a moment, for a small miracle to come to us that didn’t include driving on a temporary spare 600 miles at 45 miles per hour. Then we searched our phones for the “nearest tire center” and when we saw the results, we laughed – there was a small tire store, J&M Tires, literally a minute away. And it was open!
Looking up from the car still parked in the gas station, we saw the sign for J&M Tires a little over a block down the service road! It was one of those used tire shops that patches flats and sells good condition used tires. We thanked God and smiled at each other, packing ourselves and our puppy back in the car and drove a little more than a minute to the tire place.
Had we simply looked up earlier, we would have seen it and saved ourselves the time and effort of changing the tire ourselves in the Texas heat!
Once we drove into the parking lot, we met the proprietor, an older Hispanic gentleman appropriately named “Jesus!” Where we promptly repeated JESUS!
He confirmed the tire was not repairable but after checking his stock found a slightly used tire the right size and model for our SUV! After changing the tire and reloading our temporary back in its storage place, Jesus smiled and told us the price, more than half of what a new tire would cost. We paid, offering a generous overage for his help and went on our way.
As we drove on to our next stopping place, we both kept smiling, realizing the lesson God had just taught us – the importance in challenging situations is do not focus on the problem but … look up. Focus on Him!
The Danger of Looking Down
The world is full of distractions, disappointments, and discouragement. In our digital age, we’re trained to look down—into our phones, into our timelines, into our problems. When tragedy strikes or pressure mounts, we fixate on what’s going wrong. We analyze, we worry, we withdraw.
Looking down might make us feel safe, but it also keeps us from seeing the bigger picture. It disconnects us from divine perspective. Think about Peter walking on water in Matthew 14:29-30. As long as he kept his eyes on Jesus, he walked above the chaos. But the moment he looked at the waves beneath him, fear swallowed faith—and he began to sink.
In hardship, looking down leads to doubt. But looking up rekindles hope.
The Power of Looking Up
Throughout the Bible, those who experienced God’s power most vividly were the ones who lifted their eyes.
Abraham looked up and saw a ram in the thicket, God’s provision just in time (Genesis 22:13).
Stephen, as he was being stoned, looked up and saw Jesus standing at the right hand of God (Acts 7:55).
Jesus Himself, before feeding the five thousand, looked up to heaven and gave thanks (Mark 6:41).
Looking up is an act of faith. It is both literal and symbolic—shifting our focus from our pain to God’s presence, from the temporary to the eternal.
God is Still at Work
The beauty of this truth is that God doesn’t wait for us to have perfect posture or unwavering strength. He meets us in our lowest moments and gently lifts our eyes.
Isaiah 40:26 says, “Lift up your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these? He who brings out the starry host one by one…” If God is orchestrating galaxies and sustaining stars, then surely He has not forgotten you.
When we look up, we begin to see signs of His goodness even in the middle of our mess—a kind word from a stranger, a door that opens unexpectedly, a tire store down the road, a peace that makes no earthly sense. These are reminders that God is working, even when we can’t yet see the full picture.
Final Encouragement
Whatever you’re facing today, don’t keep your eyes on the dust. You weren’t made to live bowed in defeat. You were made to lift your head in hope.
Just look up.
You’ll find the help you need, the peace you crave, and the God who never left.
May God continuously lead your path