Have
you attended an event where, in addition to being live on the stage or
platform, the speaker is shown on large screens? This is how it is at our
church. As a member of the tech team, I have had the opportunity to
operate a camera and many opportunities to hear the director giving cues to the
regular camera operators. The primary requirements of a good camera shot,
is proper focus and view. The person or object on the screen must be both
sharp and centered. This is also true of our hearts. We must keep our
hearts centered and focused on God and His plan for us.
To set
the focus for a shot, you zoom in and focus on the center point.
When this is a person, you zoom in to a close up of the face.
Here you fine tune for the sharpest, clearest image you can obtain. Then
you zoom back out to capture the entire scene that will be on screen.
This can remain fairly tight and just capture that person, or it can also be a
wider shot that includes other people and objects.
The same principles are true in the Word
of God. Throughout the Bible we are told to seek God. “Seek
the Lord while you can
find him. Call on him now while he is near.”(Isaiah 55:6 NLT)
As we go about our daily lives we must focus on the face, the
character, of God and His plan for our lives. Keeping our focus on who
God is, His love and faithfulness, will put everything else in our lives into
proper perspective. It will keep the whole picture of our lives in
focus. This comes by hearing, reading and truly believing the Word of
God.
Once you have set the focus on your
shot, you are ready to go. As you change scenes, the focus often remains
intact. Periodically you will hear the direction to adjust the focus
because the shot is “a little soft”. It
is a little fuzzy. Sometimes a minute adjustment can sharpen the
image. At other times the director may
instruct you to zoom in and reset the focus. The image may appear to
be just fine in the cameraman’s monitor, but the director is viewing a larger,
more accurate preview screen. He sees the shot more clearly, plus he sees
the other camera views and the script. He is also considering the other
aspects that go along with the camera shots.
These include lighting, shading and graphics. He sees what all of the
team members are doing and he knows what is coming next. He has the plan.
We must live our lives centered on the
character of God. His character does not change, but the scenes of our
lives will. As circumstances change, we may get just a little fuzzy on
the character of our all loving, all knowing, faithful God. Subtle doubts
or questions can get us just a little off without our even realizing it.
When these times come, it is so important to focus our ears on His voice. The
tech team members wear headphones that enable us to hear the director and each
other. Our spirits can hear the voice of the Spirit of God. Then we
must let Him be the director of our lives. Only God sees the entire
picture. Only He knows the script, both for our individual lives and for
all of eternity. He sees the lives of everyone around us, the parts they
are playing, and He knows just how everyone’s role will fit together. Listen to
this voice and keep sharp on God’s
character. Like the psalmist let your heart say, “I prepare [a prayer,
a sacrifice] for You and watch and wait [for You to speak to my
heart].”(Psalm 5:3b AMP)
All of these adjustments go on off screen. While
one cameraman is making needed adjustments, another camera is being viewed.
God often works behind the scenes in our lives. He calls us aside and
privately leads us in character adjustments without exposing our flaws to
everyone around us. If we are quick to change we can continue on without
anyone ever being aware of the process. “Therefore,
as the Holy Spirit says:
Today, if you will hear His voice, Do
not harden your hearts.” (Hebrews 3:7-8a AMP) If
we fail to adjust, we may miss out on an opportunity God intended for us at
that time. There will be other opportunities, once we get in proper
focus. Our best action is to focus as directed and wait patiently for the
director to use us.
Remember, the director is responsible
for the final outcome. Follow his directions, whether you understand or
agree with them. Then you will be a part of something bigger and better
than you were even aware was happening. Leave the results up to
him. God is also responsible for working out His plan. Follow His
lead and make the adjustments He requires. Then you will be a part of a
beautiful project; far greater than you realized was going on. “He has
made everything beautiful in its time. He also has planted eternity in men’s
hearts and minds [a divinely implanted sense of a purpose working
through the ages which nothing under the sun but God alone can satisfy], yet so
that men cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the
end.” (Ecclesiastes 3:11)
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