“For the eyes of the Lord move
to and fro throughout the earth that He may strongly support those
whose heart is completely His” (2 Chronicles 16:9).
He sees everything I do.
The arms of God are around me,
They keep me safe and secure.
Many are interested in the Super Bowl; the NFL championship football
game here in America. This year it will be Super Bowl LI and I’ve
watched most of them going back to the very first one when the Kansas
City Chiefs played the Green Bay Packers in 1967 when I was 12 years old.
David Penley is a friend who recalls attending several of the early
super bowls when he grew up in Miami. At that time the games weren’t
sellouts and halftime entertainment was usually high school and college
marching bands! (We wish they still were since the present offerings are
borderline or outright pornographic.)
In the days leading up to the game, scheduled for February 5, there
will be plenty of hype and promotion. Marketers see it as a great time
to sell lots of stuff for super bowl parties. The need for original
advertising that captures your interest, enough to sell products,
increases each new year. The TV commercials during the game have
become a major source of entertainment although, to a stodgy old
preacher like me, they can cause embarrassment, especially when gathered with friends; those ads for certain
products that would have been unimaginable advertising during my childhood and young adult years.
One
of my all-time favorite promotions was one I saw in a supermarket, a
full-sized cardboard cutout of Joe Montana, a former Super Bowl quarterback who is now retired. His
cut-out was “hired” to motivate consumers to make a purchase.
Somehow he appears to be looking right at you with a sheepish grin, as though he’s preparing to throw the football he’s holding. It’s as though his eyes are following you and he’s getting ready to call out, “Catch!”
It takes an expert art skill to create this effect that you are always
being followed by the subject’s eyes, but it also brings to mind the
reality of One whose eyes do move back and forth, as written in a Bible
verse, from the
Old Testament.
The daily Scripture text gives great assurance to God’s children of all generations: “For the eyes of the Lord move to and fro throughout the earth that He may strongly support those whose heart is completely His.”
Amazingly God is watching over us right now. That’s true wherever you
live! His omnipresence is
most reassuring when we feel as though we’re all alone in this world.
The fact is, we are not!
His eyes “move to and fro throughout the earth.” Psalm 34:15 has a similar thought which the apostle Peter quotes, “For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and His ears are attentive to their prayer” (1 Peter 3:12).
There is purposefulness in God’s watching over us. He does so
“that He may strongly support”
those who look to Him for guidance, protection, wisdom, healing, and on
and on the list goes. I sure do need that strong support
today, don’t you? I am thankful that God’s strong support and strength
is absolutely adequate for any need that I present to Him.
There is a responsibility we have however. He is looking for “those whose heart is completely His”. Another version states “those whose hearts are fully committed to Him”.
Once again we want to reaffirm our commitment to live for Jesus and stand
for His righteous cause. We want our hearts to be fully surrendered to His
plan. Wherever you are, whatever you’re doing, and whatever
you’re going through, we ask you to join us in making this commitment.
Every hour of every day
He knows each thought I think
He knows each word that I might say.
And although there were times
I’ve been out of His will
I’ve never been out of His care.
Be encouraged today,
Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
