ALWAYS BEFORE ME

“I keep my eyes always on the LORD. With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken.” – Psalm 16:8

A sunflower got its name from both its appearance and behaviour. By appearance, it resembles the sun with its yellow petals and round center, hence the name sunflower. But that’s not the only explanation for its name. When sunflowers are young, they are known to turn their heads to follow the rising of the sun through the sky from east to west during the day. That movement is described as heliotropism. [derived from “helios,” sun and “tropism” turn]. However, when they mature, their stems stiffen and permanently cause them to face the east, which shows their renewal and faithfulness.

The sunflower got its name from how it turns its head towards the sun. Steadily and unwaveringly, it follows the sun from dawn to dusk since its life depends on it. I believe there’s something we can learn from this - the sunflower’s devotion to follow the Light.

As believers in Christ Jesus, we are reminded to fix our eyes always on Jesus. In Psalm 16:8, David writes, “I keep my eyes always on the LORD.” When we keep our eyes on Jesus, we can draw strength, peace and direction from his presence. We need to live our lives in total dependence on Jesus Christ. He is our light when lost in our darkest moments, our strength and support when things become shaky, and our source of life and growth.

When we choose to keep our eyes on Jesus, it means living our lives in constant awareness and dependence on His presence. From dawn to dusk, just like the sunflower, it’s a call to surrender our hearts and control to Jesus, and allow ourselves to be led by Him.

David is known as ‘a man after God’s own heart.’ Why? Because his heart was constantly turned towards God. Despite his vast resources and influence, he still chose to depend on God for guidance, strength and hope. He writes, ‘With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken.’ You may find yourself at the crossroads of life and not be sure which way to turn, but there’s one direction you can turn to and find rest for your soul and the help you need, and that’s Jesus. Turn your heart towards Him, and He will hold you by His right hand and remain unshaken despite what’s going on around you.

One interesting thing about sunflowers is that after reaching maturity, their stem stiffens and permanently face east where the sun will rise. By becoming mature Christians, we learn to wait patiently for the LORD, because when the time is right, God will make a move just as a mature sunflower learns to wait for the sun to rise after a long, cold night.

Jesus on Mount Gethsemane, when he was in deep sorrow, just about to face the cross, he turned his face towards God in prayer for God’s will to be done, and an angel appeared and strengthened him. When the burden is too heavy and the night too dark, we can always turn our face towards God in prayer, just like what Jesus did and still find the peace and strength to go on.

From Psalm 16:8, we can learn to put our focus on Jesus. His presence sustains us even when everything else seems to give way. Peace and strength come when we steadily focus on God’s word and His promises. Not turning from it to the left or to the right, as we are commanded in Deuteronomy 28:14. "Do not turn aside from any of the commands I give you today, to the right or to the left, following other gods and serving them." Like how the sunflower turns its head following the sun through the sky during the day, and during the night it patiently waits for the sun to rise, we can do similarly by putting our focus on the Son, Jesus Christ, throughout our lives and patiently wait for him to shine in our darkest moments. He won't let you down when you turn to Him.