Psalm 33:13-15
From heaven the Lord looks down and sees all mankind; from his dwelling-place he watches all who live on earth – he who forms the hearts of all, who considers everything they do.
During the Covid-19 lockdown it occurred to me just how easy it is to assume that something is pointless if no-one else ever sees it. Why bother doing the washing up/cleaning the flat/getting dressed in the morning, if no-one else is even going to notice? When we were largely confined to the house, I found myself wearing things that were previously banished to the back of the wardrobe 'because no-one (outside the family) is going to see me today'!
Yet these verses remind us that there IS someone who sees us, even when we feel invisible to the rest of the world. Someone who notices everything that we think has gone unnoticed.
I wonder how you feel about that? Is it an encouragement,
that you are not forgotten? Or is it a guilt-inducing rebuke, reminding you of everything you do, say and think that you'd prefer was unseen? How we feel about these verses probably depends on the mental picture that we have of God. Is he the bored TV-watcher, seeing everything but distant from it all, totally unengaged and unconcerned about what is going on? Or is he the security guard, sat in front of a panel of CCTV screens, constantly on the lookout for evidence of wrongdoing? No! Remember verse 5 ... God is full of unfailing love. Remember verse 12 ... God's people are blessed to have been chosen by him. As he watches us from heaven, he does so as a father who cares for us. Yes, he sees our sin - even the sins of our thoughts and attitudes that we manage to hide from everyone else. But our response to his gaze needn't be to try and bury those things deeper, or hide from him in despair. Instead, we can confess our sins, confident of forgiveness through the blood of Jesus. And we can ask the one who forms our hearts to be at work, remaking our hearts and minds, our attitudes and actions, so that we become more like Jesus. Not just smartening us up on the outside, where others can see it, but transforming us deep within.
Let's praise God today that his all-seeing eye is not a threat to hide from, but a wonderful reminder of his grace. And let's confess to him the sins that he already sees, thankful for the death of Jesus that brings us forgiveness.
