The Lord Watches Over The Righteous

¹⁵ The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous,
and his ears are attentive to their cry;
¹⁶ but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil,
to blot out their name from the earth.

Willfully Watching

God watches over the righteous.  He keeps his eyes upon them.  He knows our coming and going.  He delights in the righteous, and ensures that their needs are met.  God has said:

Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.

Just as a parent carefully keeps their eyes upon their children to ensure that they are OK and are behaving themselves, God keeps His eyes upon His children, the ones made righteous by the blood of His Son, Jesus Christ.  We can be assured that He is watching us closely.

Longingly Listening

God is attentive to the cries of the righteous.  Just as a parent listens to the cries of a child who is in pain, or who is in need, God listens for them and helps them with their needs.  God loves us in a way that is so far beyond what human parents are able to do, and our parents helped us in our time of need.  We can be assured that God not only listens but has planned a response already for our cries:

Before they call I will answer; while they are still speaking I will hear.

And God’s answer may be delayed for various reasons.  Demonic activity may impede a response to prayer.  God may be also be waiting for the necessary spiritual development to occur before the answer is provided.  Whatever the reason, God has already provided the answer.  Be patient for its arrival.

Against Antagonists

God turns his face from those who do evil.  No one who does evil should expect assistance from God until they repent.  God is holy, and because of this, He cannot tolerate evil in His presence.  But thanks be to God for Jesus Christ, whose perfect blood provides the means through which God can see us as righteous.

One of the most gruelingly difficult questions for the oppressed is:  why does God allow the wicked to prosper?

You are always righteous, Lord,
when I bring a case before you.
Yet I would speak with you about your justice:
Why does the way of the wicked prosper?
Why do all the faithless live at ease?

And we should be consoled with God’s response:

¹⁴ This is what the Lord says: “As for all my wicked neighbors who seize the inheritance I gave my people Israel, I will uproot them from their lands and I will uproot the people of Judah from among them. ¹⁵ But after I uproot them, I will again have compassion and will bring each of them back to their own inheritance and their own country. ¹⁶ And if they learn well the ways of my people and swear by my name, saying, ‘As surely as the Lord lives’—even as they once taught my people to swear by Baal—then they will be established among my people. ¹⁷ But if any nation does not listen, I will completely uproot and destroy it,” declares the Lord.

Delivering Destruction

God will blot the name of the wicked from the Earth.  Their name will not be found in the book of life on the final and terrible day of the return of our Lord.  They will be utterly destroyed.  Regardless of their prosperity here on Earth, their eternal reward will be destruction and eternal separation from God.  And not only will they be separated from God and His holiness, power, and purity, they will be placed in God’s prison, the lake of fire, where they will experience torment for all eternity.  We can be assured that God will mete out justice to those who refused to settle their debt before their case comes before Him, the perfect judge.  Fear not, for God’s anger and wrath will surely destroy the wicked at the appropriate time.

A Qualifying Question

Let’s ask a question:  Are we trusting that God is watching over us and is answering our cries, even though it may take decades for His response?

A short prayer of preparation:

Father in Heaven, thank You for Your watchful gaze over me throughout this day and my entire life.  You have been faithful to watch over me and answer my cries for help.  Give me patient endurance when Your answers take an agonizingly long time to fulfill.  Strengthen me in Your silence, for silence feels like abandonment.  Help me to walk the straight and narrow path as my enemies seek to destroy me.  Protect me as demonic forces oppose me in all that I do.  Help me to live by faith and not sight, for You have justified me through the blood of Your Son, Jesus Christ.  This I ask and pray in Jesus’ Name, Amen.

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