Where do you keep your eyes?

In the movie The Hobbit: The Battle of The Five Armies (2014) A man climbs the bell tower so he can shoot a flying dragon that is burning the village and killing men, women and children. And in this scene, his arrows are just bouncing off this dragon because he is not hitting the dragon in the right place. Then, his son climbs this bell tower while the dragon is setting fire to everything and trying to destroy everyone. The son has an arrow that is made of something that only it can destroy this dragon but only if it hits this dragon in a certain spot. The son gets to the top of the bell tower and gives this arrow to his father, then the father sees the spot where the dragon is vulnerable. However, only the father needs to balance this arrow in order to hit this spot, in the climatic moment, he has his son looking at him only and he is balancing this arrow on this boys shoulder. The young boy is very afraid and trembling and wanting to turn his eyes to see the dragon and the man keeps telling his son, “keep your eyes on me”. The man keeps telling his son that. Don’t look, but keep your eyes on me. And of course, the arrow shoots and hits the dragon on the exact spot that is needed in order to kill the dragon.

In that scene, it felt like the arrow hit me in my heart. How many times do we put our eyes on the enemy instead of on Jesus where they belong? We can always hear him saying, “keep your eyes on Me, don’t look at the enemy”? Keep your eyes on Jesus. He is the one that fights our battles. We have to put our trust in Him. Just as that young boy in that movie had to trust his father, and having to keep his eyes on him instead of the enemy. We are called to do the same.

In Matthew 14:22-32 , Jesus had sent His disciples ahead, across the Sea of Galilee in a boat, while He was sending the crowds away. The evening fell and Jesus was alone on a mountain, praying. However, the boat was being tossed around and being battered by the high waves and seas, so the disciples had only made it to the middle of the sea probably, they were still a long ways from the other side. Then the disciples saw Jesus walking on the water in the dark. Can you imagine the pure terror of seeing this sight? Of seeing a man, which they thought was a ghost. Immediately Jesus spoke to them, telling them to “Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.”

Peter is the one that responded and he said to Jesus, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to you on the water. And you know what? Jesus told Peter,” Come!” The next thing you know, Peter got out of that boat and took off walking on that water, and he went to Jesus. But you know what happened next? Peter took his eyes off of Jesus. Peter put his eyes on the wind. We can even put the word enemy right here. We all do it. But Peter became afraid and he began to sink. Peter cried out to Jesus, ” Lord, save me!” and immediately Jesus saved him from drowning. Jesus took hold of him and Peter was saved from going under. Jesus said to him, “you of little faith, why did you doubt?” They got in the boat and the wind stopped.

Do you realize that we all have Jesus? He is the one that fights for us. He is the one that is standing right here with us and holding on to us. All we have to do is put our eyes on Jesus, don’t look at the enemy.