Supervising the cafeteria line, the teacher emphasized to the children that they were allowed to take just one apple. She reinforced the “rule” by telling the children that God was watching them. Her strategy seemed to work, until she saw Tommy grabbing a pocketful of cookies from the dessert table. Confronting the little boy, she said, “Didn’t I tell you that God was watching?” “Oh,” replied Tommy, “I thought he was watching over the apples.”
Viewing God as a supervisor might help control behavior, but it doesn’t make him too appealing does it? Most people work better when they are outside the view of a critical supervisor.
The Bible is a story of God wanting to get closer to his children. When Adam chose to turn his back on God, he put a distance between himself and the one who used to walk with him as a friend, in the cool of the evening. God’s plan of salvation is to entice humans to seek his face and re-establish an intimate relationship with him.
Today’s Psalm response (Psalm 37: 3-4,18,23,27,29) reminds us of the nearness of God.
“Take delight in the Lord, and he will grant you your heart’s requests. The Lord watches over the lives of the just; their inheritance lasts forever.”
Our hearts were made for union with God. It is our ultimate delight to be close to him. We think that if we spend our time seeking out of God, we will miss out on other things in life. According to the Psalmist, however, the opposite is true. The closer we are to God the more we get the requests of our hearts. It is a “win-win” situation.
“The Lord watches over” our lives, not because he wants to catch us making mistakes, but because he, as one person told me, “can’t take his eyes off us.” He fashioned us in our mother’s womb. We are made in his image and likeness; we bring delight to his eyes, the way a young child does to her mother. Having God watching over us contains a promise: our inheritance last forever.
Opening ourselves to the watchfulness of God, has other advantages.
“By the Lord are the steps of a man made firm, and he approves his way.”
Close to God we are kept safe within the bounds of his approval. We don’t have the anxiety of wondering if our lives are on the right track. He guides us along the right paths. Life’s issues seem to resolve when we choose to let God watch over us and take care of us.
Choosing to be close to God as our top priority goes against the current of a society that values self-sufficiency, hard work, and getting things done. We don’t see a point wasting our time in prayer—resting in stillness and absorbing God’s love for us. We don’t want to evaluate our actions and decisions in light of God’s Word; this seems too restrictive. Yes, it takes some self-discipline to let our lives be governed by the one goal of getting closer to God, yet in the end it is the only way to inner security and happiness.
God is watching over us right now because he “can’t take his eyes off us.” He is working with us even now to make something beautiful and meaningful with our lives.
We know the way into God’s heart—it is Jesus Christ. The more we surrender to Jesus as our Lord and Savior, the more we attract the loving attention of God. In receiving him more each day, we become one with him and more intimately connected with the Father. Rejoice in the watchfulness of God.
“
Whoever loves me will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him” (Jon 14:23).
