In my last post, I talked about the importance of having spiritual tunnel vision. I want to develop that thought a little more today. As stated previously, according to Dictionary.com, tunnel vision is defined as “a drastically narrowed field of vision, as in looking through a tube.” As I pondered on the thought of spiritual tunnel vision, God began to bring to my remembrance several Bible characters that set good examples for believers to follow.
ABRAHAM RECEIVED THE PROMISE
The first Bible character who had spiritual tunnel vision was Abraham. He was told that he would be the father of many nations in his old age. Romans 4:19-20 says, “And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sara's womb: He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God.” In other words, Abraham had tunnel vision with regard to the promise God had made to him, he paid no attention to the circumstances, and he ended up with Isaac, the child of promise.
DAVID FULFILLED HIS CALL
The second example we want to look at is King David. In Psalm 27:4, he writes, “One thing I ask from the LORD, this only do I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the LORD and to seek him in his temple.” David had tunnel vision when it came to his focus on God. He did not lose sight of God and focus intently on getting a title and becoming king. As a result, He wound up fulfilling his call as the king of Israel and was labeled as a man after God’s own heart.
MARY MAINTAINED HER PEACE AND JOY
Finally, Mary (the sister of Martha) also had tunnel vision. She chose to sit at Jesus’ feet and focus on him instead of racing around and serving Him without even spending time with Him. When Martha complained to Jesus that Mary was not helping her with the preparations, Jesus said to Martha in Luke 10:41-42, “You are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.” Because of Mary’s tunnel vision, she received a commendation from Jesus and the peace and joy of being in the presence of the one she loved. Like Mary, we need to have spiritual tunnel vision and make time to hone in on Jesus daily.
Saints, these are perilous times we are living in, and if we are going to make it through with our sanity intact, we must become good at honing in on God in the midst of the storm. If we want to stay sane, employing spiritual tunnel vision is a must. Therefore, let’s be careful to make sure we maintain a proper focus lest we end up like Peter in Matthew 14:30 where he surely had tunnel vision, but erroneously focused on the winds and waves and ended up sinking and needing to be rescued.
How have you employed spiritual tunnel vision in your life? Please leave a comment below.
Tracey L. Moore (a.k.a. The Purposeful Poet) is a poet, author and speaker whose goal is to challenge you to be your best for Christ. She holds a Master of Arts degree in Christian Counseling from Oral Roberts University and is an Associate Minister at Chesapeake Christian Center in Chesapeake, Virginia. Learn more about Tracey at http://www.TraceyLMoore.com.