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September 26, 2016
In Case You Were Wondering — God Knows |
“The eyes of the LORD are on the righteous, and his ears are attentive to their cry;” Psalm 34:15 (NIV)
For months, I prayed the same prayers, yet they seemed to go unanswered.
So each time I spoke to God, I made sure He hadn’t forgotten by reminding Him constantly of my needs and desires. I felt He had a right to know I was still anxiously waiting for Him to act and that honestly, I was getting a little annoyed at His seeming lack of swift action and attention.
Have mercy.
As I laid my head to rest one night after yet another exhausting, discouraging day, I finally asked the questions we all may be secretly tempted to ask when our circumstances don’t improve and our problems keep piling up: “Do You see me, Lord? Do You even hear what I’m saying? Do You know what’s happening?” Then moments later, I drifted off to sleep.
A few hours into the quiet darkness of the night, I abruptly awoke. There were no loud creepy sounds coming from another room and no startling thunder or lightning outside that would have interrupted my sleep. Total silence — except for a persistent musical rhythm dancing through my mind.
I recognized the tune but hadn’t heard it in quite some time, so it took my sleepy mind a couple minutes to figure it out. When the lyrics of the song finally came flowing into my mind, tears filled my eyes. The song title? “He knows,” by Jeremy Camp.
“He knows, every hurt and every sting; He has walked the suffering. Let your burdens come undone. Lift your eyes up to the One who knows. He knows.”
God had gently pulled me out of a deep sleep because He had something simple, yet so important, to tell me: He does see me … hear my prayers … and care. And above all, He knows.
My heart quickened at the thought of hearing from my heavenly Father in such a sweet and gentle way. In the midst of running the universe, God saw fit to remind me that just because I didn’t yet know how He was at work in my situations, didn’t mean He didn’t know exactly what was happening.
As the sun began to rise, I reached for my Bible and looked for verses about God’s attentiveness to our lives. I came across today’s key verse that reminds us: Even when we think God isn’t watching, He sees us. When we think He isn’t listening, He hears our prayers.
Scripture tells us, “Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight” (Hebrews 4:13, NIV). There isn’t a day or a tear that God doesn’t know about. He sees whatever we’re going though … and He knows.
God’s Word also reassures us the Lord hears His people when they call to Him for help (Psalm 34:17). God knows every prayer spoken, and He hears the cries of our hearts.
The struggle to believe God sees us often signifies a problem within our hearts, not His heart for us. And yet, doubts don’t make us broken believers, just broken people living in a world where things break our hearts — and God’s.
But there’s no greater joy than seeing throughout Scripture that the Creator of the universe deeply cares about what we’re going through. Hope and peace can be ours when we believe that in God’s timing and in His ways, He will answer.
This late-night encounter with God helped me refocus on my faith and remember although He may not have answered my prayers, I can trust He knows.
If you’ve ever wondered if God cares about what you’re going through, take comfort today in letting yourself believe He does.
Lord, help me remember You not only know what is happening in my life, but You have a plan. Fill me with peace and the ability to trust You as I wait. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
TRUTH FOR TODAY:
>Matthew 6:8b, “… for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.” (NIV)
Psalm 139:2-4, “You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue you, LORD, know it completely.” (NIV)
>1 Peter 5:7, “Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.” (NLT)
RELATED RESOURCES:
God’s love isn’t based on me — it’s simply placed on me. Our new Uninvited products will encourage you to rest in the fullness of being someone who is truly living loved. Get one of these truth-filled reminders today for yourself or a friend in the Proverbs 31 bookstore.
Visit Tracie Miles’ blog to share your thoughts on how it feels to know God is always looking after you. You can also enter to win an Uninvited t-shirt!
REFLECT AND RESPOND:
What current situation in your life have you been doubting if God sees, hears, cares or knows about? How does knowing He does help lighten your heart?
Think of a situation causing you to doubt God’s interest in your life. Spend some time in prayer surrendering that problem to God.
© 2016 by Tracie Miles. All rights reserved.
>Proverbs 31 Ministries
630 Team Rd., Suite 100
Matthews, NC 28105
www.Proverbs31.org
Originally published Monday, 26 September 2016.
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