hatever our vantage point, we choose to see the world with optimism or pessimism. As Christians, we have the advantage of finding contentment in our circumstances based on our knowledge of who God is—knowledge God provides through His Word. Without the clarity the Word of God offers, our perspective will be blurred. The children of Israel, for example, not heeding what God had communicated to them upon their deliverance from Egypt, chose to turn a blind eye to God’s promises and to murmur against Him along their journey.

The Bible provides illustrations of God’s power to change man’s view. As the prophet Elisha’s servant trembles in face of a ferocious, earthly army, Elisha prays for the Lord to open his servant’s eyes to the surrounding army of angels (2 Kings 6:17). The altered perspective brings confidence and ultimate victory.

God knows His people’s lives and provides comfort. The Angel of the Lord finds Hagar, Sarah’s handmaid who fled disdain, and calls her by name. He changes her perspective, introducing her to His omniscience. Realizing God knows her affliction and that she has “seen Him who looks after” her, Hagar names God “The God Who Sees” (Gen. 16:13). She names the well where she was “Beer-lahai-roi,” meaning “well of the Living One Who sees me” (Gen. 16:13-14). Later, when Hagar finds herself again in the desert, she cries to God as she tries to turn away from her son dying of thirst. Telling her not to fear, the Lord draws her eyes toward a well of physical, life-giving water, the one she had previously named. She and her son are thus delivered (Gen. 21:17-19).

The New Testament provides a parallel example of a woman who undergoes a change in perspective. This woman comes to a well in Samaria seeking physical water, totally oblivious of her true need. Jesus, seated at the well, explains that if she clearly perceived with whom she talked, she would be the one asking for a drink. He transforms her perspective to show her genuine need, not of physical water but of the “well of the Living One Who sees me,” a “well springing up into everlasting life” whereof she can drink to never thirst again (John 4:14).

These accounts of Hagar and the Samaritan woman highlight the change only Christ bestows on believers. Some Christians have been seduced into believing it is their responsibility to correct the world. When they realize they cannot, they lose hope. The devil twists human perspective, making people believe he is in control and problems are hopeless. However, the Bible shows God as all-knowing, all-powerful, the One in charge.

Before being introduced to Divine Truth, Elisha’s servant, Hagar and the woman of Samaria struggle because they look at their situation from their limited, finite view. Knowing the depth of their circumstances, they cannot perceive that there is a God who understands. Similarly, at the time we shift our focus from our sin-depraved selves to Christ, we can begin to truly perceive (Prov. 3:5-7; Jer. 29:13). Then, as we progress in understanding our sovereign King through the lens of His Word, our perspective on life is progressively altered and enlightened (Eph. 1:18). Once we see as God sees, we can trust—and rest—in peace.

hatever our vantage point, we choose to see the world with optimism or pessimism. As Christians, we have the advantage of finding contentment in our circumstances based on our knowledge of who God is—knowledge God provides through His Word. Without the clarity the Word of God offers, our perspective will be blurred. The children of Israel, for example, not heeding what God had communicated to them upon their deliverance from Egypt, chose to turn a blind eye to God’s promises and to murmur against Him along their journey.

The Bible provides illustrations of God’s power to change man’s view. As the prophet Elisha’s servant trembles in face of a ferocious, earthly army, Elisha prays for the Lord to open his servant’s eyes to the surrounding army of angels (2 Kings 6:17). The altered perspective brings confidence and ultimate victory.

God knows His people’s lives and provides comfort. The Angel of the Lord finds Hagar, Sarah’s handmaid who fled disdain, and calls her by name. He changes her perspective, introducing her to His omniscience. Realizing God knows her affliction and that she has “seen Him who looks after” her, Hagar names God “The God Who Sees” (Gen. 16:13). She names the well where she was “Beer-lahai-roi,” meaning “well of the Living One Who sees me” (Gen. 16:13-14). Later, when Hagar finds herself again in the desert, she cries to God as she tries to turn away from her son dying of thirst. Telling her not to fear, the Lord draws her eyes toward a well of physical, life-giving water, the one she had previously named. She and her son are thus delivered (Gen. 21:17-19).

The New Testament provides a parallel example of a woman who undergoes a change in perspective. This woman comes to a well in Samaria seeking physical water, totally oblivious of her true need. Jesus, seated at the well, explains that if she clearly perceived with whom she talked, she would be the one asking for a drink. He transforms her perspective to show her genuine need, not of physical water but of the “well of the Living One Who sees me,” a “well springing up into everlasting life” whereof she can drink to never thirst again (John 4:14).

These accounts of Hagar and the Samaritan woman highlight the change only Christ bestows on believers. Some Christians have been seduced into believing it is their responsibility to correct the world. When they realize they cannot, they lose hope. The devil twists human perspective, making people believe he is in control and problems are hopeless. However, the Bible shows God as all-knowing, all-powerful, the One in charge.

Before being introduced to Divine Truth, Elisha’s servant, Hagar and the woman of Samaria struggle because they look at their situation from their limited, finite view. Knowing the depth of their circumstances, they cannot perceive that there is a God who understands. Similarly, at the time we shift our focus from our sin-depraved selves to Christ, we can begin to truly perceive (Prov. 3:5-7; Jer. 29:13). Then, as we progress in understanding our sovereign King through the lens of His Word, our perspective on life is progressively altered and enlightened (Eph. 1:18). Once we see as God sees, we can trust—and rest—in peace.