Fix Your Eyes On God
We all have ways of dealing with stress, don’t we?
I’ll be honest—I’m a very “stressy” person. I worry and overthink everything. And recently, I started noticing what I run to when I feel overwhelmed
For me, it’s retail therapy, or even a good old-fashioned “stress clean” (I’m basically Monica Geller in that department).
But when I really stop and think about it, these things—while funny and harmless… mostly—are still distractions.
Some of us turn to social media.
Others to comfort food, binge-watching reality TV, relationships, alcohol, drugs, sex or other things that numb us for a while.
The truth?
These things can’t fix us. They can’t bring lasting peace. Only God can.
PRAY: “Your will, not mine”
“Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.”
— Luke 22:42
This verse has been sitting heavy on my heart.
The “cup” Jesus refers to represents God’s judgment—His wrath poured out for the sin of all humanity. Jesus knew what was coming. He was about to drink that cup on our behalf.
He was fully God, yet fully human—so His anxiety in this moment was real. The weight of it was beyond what we could ever imagine.
And still, in His agony, Jesus prayed,
“Not my will, but yours be done.”
How often do we pray that?
When things hurt, when life doesn’t make sense, when we’re struggling—how often do we surrender instead of control?
God’s will might not always feel easy, but it’s always good.
In your family, in your work, in your waiting—pray, “Your will be done.”
PRAY: “Don’t fall into temptation”
“Rise and pray that you may not enter into temptation.”
— Luke 22:46
When Jesus found His disciples sleeping, He urged them to pray. Scripture says they were “sleeping for sorrow”—so weighed down by emotion that they shut down.
Sound familiar?
When life gets hard, some of us do the same. We “sleep” spiritually. We withdraw, numb out, or hide.
But Jesus calls us to rise and pray.
Because when we stop praying, we start drifting.
We’re called to carry His mission forward—to stay alert, to guard our hearts, to pray that we don’t fall into temptation or distraction.
You have a calling.
You have purpose.
So pray—don’t sleep through it.
PRAY: “Stay in His presence”
“And there appeared to him an angel from heaven, strengthening him.”
— Luke 22:43
Even in His greatest agony, Jesus didn’t run away—He stayed. He stayed in the presence of God.
In His distress, He didn’t numb Himself with distraction. He fell to the ground and prayed more earnestly. And because He stayed, God strengthened Him.
What a picture of hope.
When we stay near to God, even in our pain, He meets us there.
He doesn’t always remove the storm, but He strengthens us through it.
Application:
When anxiety, stress, or fear take hold—what if instead of running away, we ran to Him?
Here are four moments Jesus practiced silence and solitude:
To work through grief (Matthew 14:13)
Before making important decisions (Luke 6:12-13)
In distress and anxiety (Luke 22:39-44)
To focus on prayer (Luke 5:16)
Try this prayer of surrender:
Breathe in: “Abba”
Breathe out: “I belong to You.”
Let go. Surrender. Stay in His presence.
Final Word:
Life isn’t easy. It may not get easier—but God is still on the throne.
Anxiety doesn’t get to win.
Depression doesn’t get to win.
Addiction, fear, comparison—they don’t get to win.
Because God already has.
“Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.”
— Hebrews 1:13
So fix your eyes on God.
Stay in His presence.
And let Him make your enemies your footstool.
Amen.
