“Don’t You see what they are doing, God?” (Psalm 35:22 MSG)
David asks a question that resonates with every reader. “Don’t You see?” We’ve each wondered, from time to time, if God sees. We wonder if He knows the full story, if He has made the connections that we have. We desire justice deeply, except when it comes to our own transgressions.
Be assured, God does see. The oracles of Ezekiel remind us that no sin escapes God’s attention. In fact, God transported Ezekiel via ecstatic vision from Babylon back to the Temple in Jerusalem so Ezekiel could firsthand witness the blasphemy underway in the inner court. God sees and He administers justice according to His sovereignty and grace.
What do I mean by that? God knows the hearts of the righteous and unrighteous alike. We find this over and over in the gospels; when we encounter scriptures like Luke 5:22 “Knowing what they were thinking, Jesus replied…” If our thought life isn’t hidden from the Almighty, then our actions certainly aren’t either. God knows what is going on in the inner folds of our being. He is all-familiar with the story of each individual involved: both our backstory and our about-to-be-story. He’s keenly aware of our redemption-potential an the ripple affect that human lives have upon one another and history as a whole. He’s mapped all this out with grace enough to receive each and every repentant sinner back into the fold of His family.
Is your mind starting to smoke yet? I think about these mysteries for only a few moments and mine begins to mush. I can’t fathom how God balances justice and grace and love as perfectly as He does. Yes, sometimes that delicate balance feels as though He isn’t seeing the same story that we see. We wonder why He hasn’t moved, reacted, rearranged or restructured.
The truth is, He doesn’t see the same story as us. He sees something much, much bigger and far more complex. He isn’t slow, but patient. He isn’t unflinching but unfailing. He gives every soul ample opportunity to choose Him.
So the next time you feel like God doesn’t see, remind yourself that He does. He’s simply offering others the same kind of grace that we’ve each received. He’s balancing a whole lot more than just our story, but the whole of humanity in the palm of His large and capable hand.
“God doesn’t miss a thing – He’s alert to good and evil alike.”
(Proverbs 15:3 MSG)
Lord, we know You see and we trust that You are better at being God than we ever could be. Help us to understand Your role as sovereign, just and graceful. Your self-assigned task is incredibly complex and beyond our comprehension. Give us faith to live in the tension between justice and grace. Open our hearts to pray for the folks that wound us and hope for their highest good; restored relationship with You. Give us absolute confidence in Your ability to redeem the whole of this broken world for Your glory. Amen.