“18 Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear Him, on those who hope in His mercy, 19 to deliver their soul from death, and to keep them alive in famine.”
A story is told about a sole survivor of a shipwreck, washed upon a small island that was uninhabited. He prayed zealously daily, asking God to rescue him, but when he scanned the horizon for help, he saw nothing. He managed to build a little hut out of driftwood in order to protect himself from the elements, and to store the few possessions he was left with after the shipwreck. Not long after he built his hut, he set out early one morning in search of food, and to his disappointment, when he returned found his hut engulfed in flames. As the smoke rolled up to the sky, stunned with disbelief, grief and anger, he cried out, “God! How could you do this to me?” Everything was lost. It was as if the worst had happened to him. Wearied and depressed, he went to sleep. Early the next morning, he was awakened by the sound of a ship approaching the island. It had come to rescue him. “How did you know that I was here?” asked the man to his rescuers. “We saw your smoke signal,” they replied.
It is often hard to see God’s hand at work in our lives. It may seem like He is far away, and He has absolutely no concern for us. Yet nothing could be far from the truth. He is always watching over us. He continually leads us beside the still waters (Psalm23:2). Even though, it may seem like we are walking through the valley of the shadow of death, we have nothing to fear, because He is with us.
Here, the Psalmist (King David), is taking comfort in the constant watchful protection of the God he serves. He is so overwhelmed when he thinks about the constant presence of God with him, that he says in another place, “6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain it. 7 Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? 8 If I ascend into heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there (Psalm 139:6—8).” Let us be confident in the LORD whose eyes run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him (2 Chronicles 16:9a).” Let us take comfort, and be assured of the truth that our heavenly Father watches over us always.
Stephen Thomas
Stephen is an ordained Christian Minister and a Bible teacher who is a mentor to several youth leaders in Crossway Church and around the globe. He is a regular visiting Speaker in Crossway Church, New Delhi. He can be reached at stephenthomas6400@hotmail.com
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