God's Sight
Andy Manley
Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.
Hebrews 4:13
The idea of everything being laid bare before a God that is completely perfect, holy, and pure, can inspire awe. It can also inspire some fear!
If you ever had a teacher in middle school say they were watching you, you know the fear. In the 6th grade, we learned how to convert mechanical pencils into staple guns. We thought these were amazing ways to develop mechanical engineering skills. We could go into any classroom and find staples already on the ground from previous classes. This gave us the opportunity to shoot our friends during class when the teacher wasn’t looking. Having the teacher watch us meant we were going to get in trouble... deservedly.
The fear of God is found all throughout scripture. There is something healthy about acknowledging that we aren’t in control and don’t have all the answers.
There’s also something extremely hopeful about God’s eyes being on us. I remember going to sleep one night years ago. I was overwhelmed with the sense that God’s eyes were on me. That His gaze was fixed on me. It wasn’t about fear though. It was that His focus and attention was on me. I came to the realization that God’s eyes are proactively on us. His deep care, love, and attention are always fixed on us. Even when we aren’t praying. Even when we aren’t in church. Even when we aren’t worshipping. Even when we had a terrible day. Even when we’re happy. Even in the highs. Even in the lows. I believe that God’s eyes and attention are always on us out of His deep love towards us.
In the book of Jeremiah God tells him, “Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you...” I believe that before we were even born, God was waiting. God was looking forward to a relationship with us. He was looking forward to drawing us closer to Him. He was waiting with anticipation.
We can feel fear out of regrets or shortcomings. But God sees everything. The good and the bad and He loves us the same. He was waiting to know us.
The rest of the passage in Hebrews says,
14 Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess.15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. 16 Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.