Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear Him, on those who hope in His mercy, to deliver their soul from death, and to keep them alive in famine. (Psalm 33:18-19)
When Messiah spoke to the congregation in Philadelphia, He offered nothing but approval and encouragement. Of particular interest is the statement, “I know your works … for you have a little strength” (Revelation 3:8). To note this means that their activity had been observed by the LORD — through it all, He had kept His eye on them. He also noted that, even though their strength had been drained by the struggle of life, they had continued to acknowledge His sovereignty and keep His Word. In short, they were a congregation who feared the LORD. And so, in acknowledgement of their faithfulness, Messiah promised to make their enemies come and worship at their feet and “to know that I have loved you” (Revelation 3:9).
When we are going through difficulty, it is easy to think that we have been forgotten. The reality is that we are the ones who have forgotten the LORD observes all; He continually watches over His people and moves in ways that are for their good. Sometimes that is not so obvious to us because His ways can allow for great disruption in our life. Joseph was betrayed and sold into slavery and had no way of knowing that these were but the first of many trials. Moreover, he had no way of knowing that these were the initial steps in a process that would save his family from famine and, most importantly, heal and restore them.
The God we serve is for life, love, wholeness and restoration. In order to bring His objectives to pass, He will allow hardships, whether it be separation from family or famine and lack. He allows these things to touch our lives to shake us into realizing what is most important in life. That’s what happened to the prodigal son: it took famine and lack to bring him to his senses. But once he was alerted to what is really important in life, he made the decision to return to his home and father.
Wherever we are and in whatever predicament we find ourselves in, the eye of the LORD is watching … and waiting. We too must learn to wait on Him as the process unfolds, knowing that He will deliver from death those who hope in His mercy.
Blessings and Shalom,
Bill
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