Mensa Otabil - Look Straight Ahead (11/07/2025)
Proverbs 4, verse 25: Let your eyes look straight ahead, and your eyelids look right before you. God naturally positions our eyes in such a way that they look forward. If we are going to look backward, we have to physically turn our head or our bodies, but the eye is designed to look forward. I think it’s an indication that God wants us to be forward-looking in our lives. That doesn’t mean that the past has no value for us; the past has some value. It’s like the rearview mirror of a driver. A driver looks through the rearview mirror, taking a glance so that they can avoid some mistakes ahead of them.
So once in a while, your past advises you in your future choices, but you don’t keep your eyes on your past. You have to learn to keep your eyes on the future and what is coming at you. God gives us new opportunities every day, and every day He opens a new door for us. We have to always keep our eyes on what is coming ahead of us. Even if you were very good in the past, that’s it; it’s gone. You have to keep your eyes ahead of you.
All right, so what kinds of things should we look forward to? Three things: First, look forward to God’s unfailing grace. That is something you can bank your life on-that God’s grace is sufficient for you. When you are weak, He is strong. His grace will lift you up, open opportunities for you, and grant you direction. So when you feel inadequate, His grace is sufficient for you. Trust in God’s unfailing grace; He will be there for you.
Secondly, look forward to new opportunities. That’s something I keep talking about. God is always doing something new in your life. Every morning, He opens new mercies for us. No matter how down your life is, the new day is a new mercy. No matter how bad the previous day was, you probably went to bed with bad news you heard-somebody called and gave you the most horrible news. But the next day is a new day; it’s a new opportunity. You have to look at the new days and the new opportunities in your life. Don’t carry the weight of your past constantly with you wherever you go in your future. God is opening new opportunities for you. You have to look forward to His unfailing grace, and you have to look forward to new opportunities, which are opening for you right now.
And number three, look forward to a new life of purpose. Many times we go through life, and we make terrible mistakes. Everybody does it. It may not be that terrible, but everyone makes mistakes, and some people make very terrible mistakes that cost them so much, and so much is lost. It can then look as if there’s no purpose for you; life has no meaning and everything that you thought life was is gone. But God is able to work out new purposes for our lives. He’s able to redesign new paths for us; He brings new people into our lives. He brings new things into our lives and speaks new words to us. Don’t ever underestimate the strength of Jehovah God. He created all things out of nothing; He can create a new purpose for you when there is nothing. Trust God and look forward to the new purpose He has for you.
So, look forward to God’s unfailing grace; His grace is sufficient for you. Look forward to new opportunities; God is always giving us new mercies every day. And look forward to a new purpose for your life because God makes all things work together for our good, as we are called according to His purpose. There is something new coming your way; embrace it in Jesus' name.
Let’s share a word of prayer together. Say with me, «Heavenly Father, I look forward to Your unfailing grace. I look forward to new opportunities. I look forward to a purposeful life. In Jesus' name, Amen and amen.»