My Eyes Are FixedEgzanp

Stephen showed us how to do that. He was one of the first deacons of the church. And he was a bold witness for the gospel. As he defended the faith before the high priest and the Jews in Jerusalem, they were enraged and set about to stone him. But Stephen gazed into heaven—while he was being stoned—and saw the glory of God.  He cried out to Jesus with his last breath, asking Him not to hold his attackers’ sin against them. In his suffering he fixed his eyes on Jesus and found joy, unspeakable joy. Jesus who was seated at the right hand of the Father, was standing ready to welcome him home. He stood, and His standing gave strength to His suffering servant.

The hard truth is that for many of us our suffering and trials may not be resolved on this side of heaven. You may have received a depressing report from the doctor informing you that you only have months to live. You may be struggling with a long-term illness that there is no cure for. You may be held in a prison, awaiting certain death, in a country where it’s unlawful to speak of Jesus. The writer of Hebrews would encourage us to fix our gaze forward on Jesus. Not on our circumstances. Not on our struggles. Just on Jesus.