‘God Sees All’

​Daily Devotional – Thursday, June 3, 2021

“God says, ‘I know what you are saying, for I know every thought that comes into your minds.’” (Ezekiel 11:5b, NLT)

The idea that anything can be hidden from our ever-present, all-knowing, all-seeing God is one of the most ludicrous notions ever imagined. Whether good or bad, nothing escapes the eye of God. Even though He may not respond immediately, never doubt that good done for Him will be rewarded and disobedience will be punished. It should be an obvious fact, but how often do we accuse God of abandoning us? Of not caring? Of being blind to our situation? But the truth of the matter is that He is still present and attentive even at times when He chooses to respond with silence.

The prophet Ezekiel was provided a rare glimpse into the ‘secret’ activities that were taking place back in Jerusalem. He himself was a captive in Babylon, but in Ezekiel 8-11, we read how God’s Spirit transports Ezekiel in a vision back to Jerusalem and shows him some of the ‘hidden’ things that were happening. Within the Temple, an idol had been set-up near God’s altar; Ezekiel is given entrance into a closed room where seventy leaders are in the process of worshipping many false gods; he sees women weeping for the god Tammuz; and within the Temple courtyard, twenty-five men are bowing and worshipping the sun! They think that God has abandoned them and therefore is blind to this idolatry. But He has seen it all and shows it to His prophet Ezekiel. God tells Ezekiel that He has every intention of rewarding those who have remained faithful and of punishing those who have rejected Him.
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Sometimes, rather than accuse God of abandoning us, we wonder if there is any purpose for the good that we do in the face of so much chaos in our world today. Can our small contributions of obedience—being merciful, showing kindness, being generous—make any sort of significant impact for God and His Kingdom? In Jesus’ sermon (Matthew 5-7), He encourages the crowd not to make public displays of their prayers, fasting and acts of generosity. God Himself will see and reward each act of faithfulness done away from the public eye. Even when our acts of obedience go unseen by those around us, God has promised to reward us. Nothing escapes His notice. Nothing done for Him is ‘small’ in His eyes. When He promises to reward or punish, we can be assured that it will be so, for nothing is missed under His ever-watchful care.
~ Pastor Jane