OPINION —
Weak and intoxicated, a man made his way home at midnight. As he walked in, he was surprised to see his wife sitting in a rocking chair.
“What are you doing up so late?” he asked.
“I have been praying for you,” she said.
“Well, for goodness sake, don’t tell God I am drunk!” he replied.
Even sober people think they can hide from God. But the Psalmist David reminds us that is impossible:
Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast. If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me, and the light become night around me,” even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you” (Psalm 139:7-12).
Actually it is truly good news that God sees us. The Bible teaches us that God is more than the Great Creator who sits in heaven and admires his creation.
No! He is a loving Father who sees each of us and gladly hears and answers our prayers. In Psalm 33:13, David says, “The Lord looks down from heaven; he sees all the children of man.”
I love the way the Living Bible translates David’s words: “The Lord gazes down upon mankind from heaven where he lives. He has made their hearts and closely watches everything they do” (Psalm 33:13-15).
Yes, God sees us when we are drunk and when we are sober, for He sees everything we do! But that should encourage us, not frighten us. He not only sees us, He cares for us. He hurts when we hurt. He sees our tears and desires to heal our broken hearts. When we lose someone we love, God is not far off and unconcerned; He is with us, eager to take us in His arms as a father holds his grieving child in his arms. David gives us a beautiful description of God in Psalm 103:13: “The Lord is like a father to his children, tender and compassionate to those who fear him.” (NLT)
A verse in 2 Chronicles reminds us that God not only sees what is going on in our lives, but He is eager to give us the strength to handle our difficulties:
“The eyes of the Lord search the whole earth in order to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him” (16:9).
One day Jesus used the tiny sparrow to explain the Father’s love for his children: “What is the price of two sparrows — one copper coin? But not a single sparrow can fall to the ground without your Father knowing it. And the very hairs on your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are more valuable to God than a whole flock of sparrows” (Matthew 10:29-31, NLT).
Does God see me? Oh yes! He even knows the number of hairs on my head!
He is not only watching me, He is guiding my steps, He is giving me the light I need, even when it is dark, to continue walking on the King’s highway. And why?
Because I am valuable to God! I affirm that whenever the devil tempts me to think
I am nothing more than a poor leaf adrift on the stormy seas of life!
The poets as well as the Holy Scriptures confirm for us that God sees and cares for us. I find comfort in reciting this inspiring children’s poem, “The Wonderful World,” by William Brighty Rands:
“Great, wide, beautiful, wonderful World,
With the wonderful water round you curled,
And the wonderful grass upon your breast-
World, you are beautifully dressed
The wonderful air is over me,
And the wonderful wind is shaking the tree,
It walks on the water, and whirls the mills,
And talks to itself on the tops of the hills.
You friendly Earth! how far do you go,
With the wheat-fields that nod and the rivers that flow,
With cities and gardens, and cliffs, and isles,
And people upon you for thousands of miles?
Ah, you are so great, and I am so small,
I tremble to think of you, World, at all;
And yet, when I said my prayers today,
A whisper inside me seemed to say,
You are more than the Earth, though you are such a dot:
You can love and think, and the Earth cannot!”
Yes, God sees you. He watches you. He cares for you. He loves you. And because he loves you, He has created you with the power to love and think — and serve Jesus!
Glory! Praise Him!
