Seeing the Bigger Picture

“Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand.” — Proverbs 19:21

I wear many different hats, and one of my favorites is photographer. For the last four months, I’ve had the joy of capturing dozens of high school seniors in local parks during their portrait sessions. My favorite lens to use is my heavy-bodied 85mm prime. It creates a beautifully blurred background, allowing me to focus entirely on the subject. If words could describe the image, they’d say something like, “Hey, this person is the main event—the rest doesn’t matter. Don’t even bother looking at it.”

But what about the times when I do want to bring the background into focus? That’s when I reach for my 16–35mm zoom lens. I can pan out or zoom in. When I’m zoomed in, it’s all about the subject. But when I zoom out, everything else comes into play. My eye is drawn to the landscape behind them, and suddenly, the scene feels bigger. I’m seeing more than just the individual at the forefront.

That imagery paints a beautiful picture of God’s omniscience. While we’re looking at life through an 85mm portrait lens—focused only on ourselves—God is zoomed out, seeing the entire landscape from beginning to end. He knows it all. It’s so easy for us, in the moment, to think, “Why me?” or “How could God possibly use my painful struggle?” But that’s because we’re looking at life through the portrait lens. We’ve made it all about us.

In the book of Isaiah, when God’s people were exiled to Babylon, they were weary and uncertain about their future. Yet even in their discouragement, God’s faithfulness prevailed. He reminded them in Isaiah 55:8–9:

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord.

What felt small and personal to them—so tightly focused on their immediate pain—was really part of a far greater plan they couldn’t see or imagine. And it was all for His glory.

Are you there today? Weary? Unsure of what’s next? Oh friend, be reminded that whatever God has begun, He will finish—for His glory and for your ultimate good.

When I look through the end of a straw, my vision is narrowed and frustratingly limited. But when I lift my eyes—when I allow myself to see beyond my own narrow view—I’m reminded of my smallness and His greatness.

You are significant, my friend. But you are not sovereign or omniscient. Rest today knowing there is so much more beyond you, beyond here. Far more.

Reflection Question:
Where in your life have you been looking through a “portrait lens,” focused only on your own experience? What might change if you trusted that God is zoomed out—seeing and working for His greater glory and your ultimate good?