Sunday Matters #6: Focus the Eyes of My Heart, Lord
For a quick refresher on WHY and HOW we’re using this resource for this season? Click on the previous blog post: “New Resource for 2024”.A little worship song trivia! Name at least five of the songs that would definitely appear on a list of the top 10 worship songs from the early 2000’s. Go! I would guess you’d name songs like How Great Is Our God, Here I Am To Worship, Shout To the Lord, The Stand, or Forever (better not say Days of Elijah! That was technically the late 90’s, but please don’t take me back there!)…however, I know it wouldn’t be complete without Paul Baloche’s Open the Eyes of My Heart! I know I’ve led that song more times than I can count.
No, I’m not planning a throwback worship night, but this song’s lyrics came to mind when I read chapter #6 in preparation for worship this upcoming Sunday. Paul Tripp’s summary of the chapter says:
Corporate worship is designed to help you take the eyes of your heart off the difficulties of your situation and focus them on the grace and glory of your ever-present Savior. (Pg. 35)
If this chapter rewrote the lyrics of Paul Baloche’s tune, it would be Focus the Eyes of My Heart. As we approach gathering on this coming Lord’s day, we must understand that we don’t gather in a vacuum, right? Our struggles, trials, baggage from this life is not eliminated when we meet. However, we can let the Spirit of God use the gathering to continue to give us corrective lenses to see the glory of God much clearer than last week, even in the middle of our very real and raw circumstances.
How to use this chapter?
This week, the chapter is really just a big prayer. So, I’m just simply encouraging us in our preparation to use this prayer as a guide. Underline those places that really hit home for you. Highlight the sections that give you “gospel eyes”. Then, just pray it! Let these thoughts help you to Focus the Eyes of Your Heart on the beauty of the gospel of Jesus working in your life.
One last thing. Here’s the part that’s really important. Don’t miss this. The turning point of this prayer happens when he says,
“So I run again with your people to your temple…”. (Pg. 37)
The gathering of God’s people has an essential piece to focusing our hearts. We can’t walk this on our own. One of the purposes of Sunday is to “run together”. Let’s fulfil that purpose again this week by running together to Jesus as we sing, pray, confess, listen to God’s Word, find assurance in the gospel, and live as his “sent” church once again. This is how we focus the eyes of our hearts…together. This is how we “live—really live” (pg. 36).
Our Green Room Prayer for this Sunday:
Lord, help us as your church to focus the eyes of our hearts on Jesus as we run together this Lord’s day in the midst of our broken and busy lives so that we may live with *hope restored and the courage of faith renewed.
Though an army encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; though war arise against me, yet I will be confident.
One thing have I asked of the LORD, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to inquire in his temple.
For he will hide me in his shelter in the day of trouble; he will conceal me under the cover of his tent; he will lift me high upon a rock.
(Psalm 27:3–5)
What encouraged you from this chapter? Feel free to comment below too!
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*from pg. 38
