Encouragement for Living on Purpose: Living the Life That God Ordained for You a 5-Day Devotional by Crystal W. DavisSample

Purpose Day 1: Turn the Camera

“Moreover, the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ‘Jeremiah, what do you see?’ Then the Lord said to me, ‘You have seen well, for I am ready to perform My word.’”

(Jeremiah 1:11a–12, NKJV)

When taking a picture, we see an object’s height and depth from a standard view. But, if we turn the camera, we see the subject’s width and length from a landscape point of view.

I wonder if Jacob understood the magnitude of what God told him in Genesis 28:14, when He said, “… your descendants shall be as the dust of the earth; you shall spread abroad to the west and the east, to the north and the south; and in you and in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

Was Jacob’s understanding perceived from a limited portrait view?

— North and South.

Did he need to turn the camera to see his inherited promise from a landscape point of view?

—East and West.

Sometimes, God speaks a word to us, and we do not understand the matter’s depth, height, width, and length until we turn the camera. No, we cannot fully comprehend. Ephesians 3:20 reads, “God can do exceedingly, abundantly, above all that we ask or think ....” Nevertheless, we see a broader view of the promise by turning the camera sideways.

A French-American photographer, Elliott Erwitt, once said, “To me, photography is an art of observation … I’ve found it has little to do with the things you see and everything to do with the way you see them.” We must see God’s plans and purposes for our lives through a lens of faith from all angles. We cannot allow our limited view to cause us to come short of His intentions.

Yes, life happens. But we can’t allow it to happen to us but through us. When life happens to us, we become the victim. But we become victorious when it happens through us.

So, the next time you’re given the opportunity to look through Heaven’s camera and view God’s ordained plans for you, look and then look again — look north to south, and then turn the camera and look east to west.

Daily Prayer

Father, You have brought me into a wealthy place. Help me to view my life through Heaven’s camera lens. I decree that my purpose is in complete focus, and I walk in the manifestation of the destiny God has ordained for me. In Jesus’ name, I pray, Amen.

Daily Affirmation

I will not view life with tunnel vision. My camera lens is set for a panoramic view.