“The Lord looks down from heaven; he sees all the children of man; from where he sits enthroned he looks out on all the inhabitants of the earth, he who fashions the hearts of them all and observes all their deeds.” Psalm 33:13-15
I’ll admit it, I’m guilty. When I was young and the boss was away, I had a tendency to work a little differently. I took a few more minutes to complete tasks, I talked to customers a little bit longer and for sure, I looked over my shoulder a little less. I guess the old saying is indeed true, when the cat’s away, the mice will play. But the Lord has a sense of humor indeed and later in my career as I became the cat, it was so odd to see the saying play out in reverse. Productivity seemed to definitely wain depending on my distance from the mice. But have you ever thought about the same mentality concerning the God? I look around today and see a world full of mice that think there is no cat. People do whatever they want, whenever they want, with whomever they want, and they do it with reckless abandon. But in Psalm 33 we clearly see that the cat has never left. God is on His throne, watching His creation, watching His creatures, and observing all we do.
Within Psalm 33 lie many powerful truths. Godly truths that have become lost in a world where sin, instead of Godly righteousness, has become the norm. Millions today will as automatically as a reflex, swear and curse God loudly when things go badly, yet when things go well will they shout loudly in praise to the Lord? Yet verse 1 and 3 clearly instruct us to shout loudly to the Lord in praise for His goodness in our lives. Billions today walk this planet as if there is no God, doing to others what they wish and leaving a wake of destruction and damage behind them. Yet in verse 8 God commands that all the Earth revere Him and stand in awe of His creation and creatures, loving them all. We see nation after nation today creating its own way, men and women that are resolute in blazing their own prideful way, leading millions along with them on their own distorted ego trips. Yet God tells us in verse 10 that He brings the plans of the nations to nothing and frustrates the intent of those that propose to run His world. (hello, Covid?) And all of this goes on today, as if we were living on our own little secret planet. But we are clearly told in verses 13-15, that God is watching it all. And He is not merely watching the actions of the hands, but the hearts that issue the actions of those hands.
Today, do you feel like as an adult you have made it? That without the restrictive hand of parents or authority figures in your life you can do whatever you want? I see a world of souls that act as such. They recklessly take on life as if it is a challenge to buck as much authority as possible. They act as if the cat is permanently away, never to return. But God’s Word tells us that every action is being seen. And even beyond the actions, the thoughts that give birth to our actions are being seen. Today you are being held accountable for your words, your thoughts, your actions, and the result of all three. God is watching…and rightfully so. If you had made your own planet and all that is within it, wouldn’t you keep a careful eye on it? But I pray that you not see God’s watchful eye as a nosy boss peering over your shoulder, but an opportunity to live in His righteousness and to please your Heavenly Father. Just as a child will relish the praise of their parents for abiding within the household rules, live in the righteousness of God and welcome His watchful eye so that you can relish in the goodness of His blessings. For also in Psalm 33 God tells us what He loves to see as He looks down upon His children…His righteousness being done in hearts, hands, and deeds.
“But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you have come to obey from your heart the pattern of teaching that has now claimed your allegiance. You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness.” Romans 6:17-18
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