“The Eye of the Lord”

Let us never under-estimate the Divine awareness of human affairs. The Psalms of David are full of intimations that he sensed this awareness.

The LORD looketh down from heaven; he beholdeth all the sons of men. From the place of his habitation he looketh upon all the inhabitants of the earth . . . Behold, the eye of the Lord is upon them that fear him, upon them that hope in his mercy” (Ps. 33:13, 14, 18).

How small a space in our minds do we give to the wondrous thought, that perhaps the angel of the Lord, with the ink horn at his side, is recording the sayings and doings of every passing moment. Can it be otherwise than that the Divine angels are the intelligent witnesses of all and everything that transpires! A sobering thought. A frightening thought. “Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence?” wrote David in awesome tones (Ps. 139:7).

It was Malachi who penned some equally startling words. How few, even of the chosen of God, realize their full import.

“Then they that feared the LORD spake often one to another: and the LORD hearkened, and heard it. . . “Consider what this means. The Almighty God is the loving and intelligent observer of the most common-place events in the lives of His people. It is those who fear the Lord who qualify for such watchful care.

There is an outstanding example in the New Testament of this. It is the example of Paul in the ship as it was driven helplessly in the raging sea. The men and the circumstances are all faithfully recorded in Acts 27. All is real and true to life, but the central figure amidst the wild excitement is the calm, self-possessed Paul, the prisoner and servant of Jesus Christ. While the frantic hopes of the sail­ors ebbed away as the storm increased in its ferocity, Paul stood undaunted and composed in their midst. While all the energies of the crew were bent to the task of battling with the overwhelming odds of the elements, who can doubt that Paul was down below making supplications to God?

Such was his faith that he never appeared to doubt God’s awareness of the situation; which was quite in contrast to the failure of the disciples in that storm on the Sea of Galilee. Paul held his silence until, from a human point of view, all hope of being saved was taken away. Then he said,

“I exhort you to be of good cheer: for there shall be no loss of any man’s life among you, but of the ship. For there stood by me this night the angel of God, whose I am, and whom I serve, saying, Fear not, Paul; thou must be brought before Caesar: and, lo, God hath given thee all them that sail with thee. Wherefore, Sirs, be of good cheer: for I believe God, that it shall be even as it was told me. . .” (v. 22-25).

Here, to be sure, is a startling transformation, the man who at the beginning of the voyage had been shipped as a prisoner, now takes charge of the ship. Even so ourselves, now living as strangers and pilgrims on this earth, will one day take charge! But wait a minute! All this is dependent upon our faith. But what faith? Above all else, an acute awareness of God’s presence, His personal involvement in the lives of those who fear him. Have we such faith? Our lives are on a voyage; and in the world around us there is evidence of the “sea and the waves roaring” — the storms of wickedness and ungodliness are mounting up to a fearful climax, and all moral restraints are being tossed overboard. In the years, if years yet re­main, until Christ comes, have we the faith to hold fast?