The first line and chorus of an old hymn by R.E. Winsett
reads...
All along on the road to the soul's true abode,
There's an Eye watching you.
Every step that you take this great Eye is awake,
There's an Eye watching you.
Watching you, watching you,
Everyday mind the course you pursue;
Watching you, watching you,
There's an all-seeing Eye watching you.
As a young boy this hymn had a profound impact upon me. I
knew that if I did something bad, even if no one ever found out,
God knew, for He is always watching me. Oftentimes this
knowledge prevented me from doing wrong simply because I didn't
want to disappoint God. Later, for a few months in my early
adulthood, I chose a path that was not good (Psalm 36:4).
I was in the Navy and thousands of miles from those to whom I
had once been accountable (Luke 15:13). For a while I
"sowed my wild oats." But I never forgot that God was
always watching me, and finally I let Him turn my life back
around.
The all-seeing Eye of God is a deterrent from sin. The
consequences of sin will always come back around to haunt the
sinner. We are warned in Numbers 32:23, "...be sure your
sin will find you out." Truly, "...God sees not as man
sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD
looks at the heart" (1 Samuel 16:7). Yes, He is indeed the
great "heart-searcher" (1 Chronicles 28:9; Jeremiah 17:10;
Revelation 2:23)! Perhaps the Hebrew writer said it best:
"...there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things
are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we
have to do" (Hebrews 4:13).
But we need not fear God's omniscience, if we allow His will to
govern our lives. We need not think of God as a suspicious
and ruthless taskmaster eagerly waiting to catch us in a fault.
The all-seeing Eye of God is neutral... He sees the good as well
as the bad. What He sees depends upon what we display
before Him! Solomon said it well, "The eyes of the LORD
are in every place, Watching the evil and the good" (Proverbs
15:3).
The Chronicler wrote, "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). This verse teaches us that the all-seeing Eye of
God offers encouragement and strength! His eyes look for
truth (Jeremiah 5:3). The pious soul does his good deeds
quietly, humbly... realizing that "the Father who sees in secret
will repay" (Matthew 6:4, 6, 18). In Luke 18:9-14, Jesus
tells a parable of a hypocritical Pharisee whose arrogant,
self-righteous prayer was designed to draw the attention of men.
Jesus then tells of the humble tax-gatherer pouring out his
penitent soul before God. Perhaps only a very few saw the
tax-gatherer as he cast his burden upon God's throne... but the
all-seeing eye of God pierced through to his heart, and he went
away justified.
The all-seeing eye of God offers hope and protection!
Persecution will inevitably come upon the godly (2 Timothy
3:12). Yet we have the undying promise of the Father who
loves us dearly, "... for He Himself has said, "I will never
desert you, nor will I ever forsake you," so that we confidently
say, "The Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid. What shall
man do to me?" A crown of life awaits the faithful one who
endures (Revelation 2:10). Yes, His eye is on the sparrow,
and not a single hair of our head escapes His notice (Matthew
10:28-29)!
May we ever be mindful of, and thankful for, the all-seeing Eye
of God!!!
Jody W. Durham, Evangelist
