God Sees And Supports His People - Faithful Focus in a Distracted Culture

“For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to give strong support to those whose heart is blameless toward him.” (2 Chronicles 16:9, ESV)

“He will not let your foot be moved; he who keeps you will not slumber. Behold, he who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. The LORD is your keeper; the LORD is your shade on your right hand.” (Psalm 121:3-5, ESV)

“I sought the LORD, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears. Those who look to him are radiant, their faces shall never be ashamed. This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him and saved him out of all his troubles. The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him, and delivers them.” (Psalm 34:4-7, ESV)

I had always considered myself an observant and attentive person—that is, until I had two toddlers under two. With their keen eyes, innate curiosity, and doubled delight in finding trouble, my toddler sons found every gap in my attention: an uncovered plug hidden behind the couch, an unlocked bathroom cabinet, a stash of markers. After a few incidents of breaking into the Flintstones vitamins or coloring their limbs with Crayola, those two taught me the hard way how to more deeply pay attention to detail. Yet, no matter how hard I tried, I would eventually grow weary from the hyper-vigilance the toddler years require.

Thankfully, our heavenly Father is far more attentive than even the most well-intentioned earthly parents. He never loses track of us or takes his attention from us. Our God is always perfectly aware of His people. Nothing escapes his sight; there are no gaps in his gaze. He is as fully informed about his people as he is deeply attached to them through his covenant love. Isn’t that amazing? The Creator of the Universe who spoke stars and starlings into existence sees and cares for us. His eyes are ever toward the righteous ones who trust in him. He hears the sighs of his children (Romans 8:26-27). While our attention may wax and wane, our God never grows tired or weary of his careful vigilance over his children (Psalm 121:3-5).

Even when we feel completely hidden, isolated, or alone, we can be confident that our God sees us fully and that his power supports and sustains us (2 Chronicles 16:9). We will never find ourselves in a situation that has spiraled out of God’s control. No matter how impossible or painful the circumstances may feel, we can cry out like David and rest assured that our God has heard our pleas and given us his undivided attention (Psalm 34:8-9).

As those created in the image of God, human beings have a unique capacity for conscious attention. We can think about our attention as we have conscious moral agency. Animals pay attention to survive, but humans have a deeper capacity for a different kind of attention. Thus, God invites us to offer our attention to him as he pays attention to us. While this may sound easy, we know from personal experience how difficult it can be, especially in a culture constantly competing for our attention. The only way to begin to become more attentive is to look longer at the God who pays careful attention to us.

Prayer:

Inexhaustible God, thank you that you don’t grow weary of watching over your children. We have such limited capacities and such short attention spans, but you are infinitely and empathetically aware of your people. You see our circumstances, hear our sighs, anticipate our needs, and know our futures. You have set your gaze on us because you have set your covenant love on us. Please allow us to be aware of your eyes upon us. Let your affection shape our attention so that we become more attentive people, aware of others around us and ready to step toward them with your love. Amen.