“Before they call I will answer; while they are still speaking I will hear.” – Isaiah 65:24
“For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer – 1 Peter 3:12
So often we hear people talking about “finding God.” Others say they are “seeking.” But it’s not God who is lost, we are. God is right where He always is – all around us and above us and below us. In fact, to state it correctly, God is the one seeking. He is the Shepherd gathering His sheep and attending to their needs.
God is not distant or unaware. He is attentive—fully aware of our needs and actively responding to them. Scripture reveals Him as Jehovah Rapha, the Lord who heals, not only our bodies but our hearts and spirits as well.
He sees our need, forgiveness of sin, and He responds in kind, called to be renewed. His attentiveness to all our needs came at Creation when He provided for Adam and Eve. He gave us plants and animals to eat, air to breathe, water to drink. He gave us relationships, clothing, avenues for joy and gaining knowledge.
Jesus, in the Sermon on the Mount, reminds us how attentive God truly is to our needs.
“Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?
“And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? Matthew 6:26-30
And yet we forget this basic truth about God. We come with our own plans thinking we are better at fixing our problems (or those of others) than anyone else. Or worse, we think God has forgotten us and we sink into depression and despair.
When Moses and the Israelites were out of water, not once but twice, they rebelled thinking God didn’t know their needs or care about them. At Marah Moses cried out to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a piece of wood. He threw it into the water, and the water became fit to drink. (Ex. 15:22-27)
Friend, I felt God’s holy attentiveness so often during difficult times caring for my father. On one such occasion at 2:00am I was yet again cleaning the bathroom floor because his body was failing. I remember thinking this was not a terrible chore. It was a blessing God gifted me to help my dad. The Holy Spirit was on His hands and knees with me, giving me the fortitude and wandering thoughts to distract me from the mess.
My BSGs always used to laugh at Bible study questions that asked, “What are you hiding from God?” Because we knew the truth — God is attentive and sees everything.
Friend, God does see everything—but not with condemnation. His eyes are attentive to our prayers, and His heart is moved by compassion. We can be thankful that unlike the gods of the Canaanites, the Greeks, the Babylonians or even modern mystics, our God is not made of wood or stone or glass beads. He is not cold and unable to hear us. He is the living God. He is the God who sent His Son to die for our sins. He is the God who hears us and answers us.
Praise the Lord, my soul;
all my inmost being, praise his holy name.
Praise the Lord, my soul,
and forget not all his benefits—
who forgives all your sins
and heals all your diseases,
who redeems your life from the pit
and crowns you with love and compassion,
who satisfies your desires with good things
so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s
Psalm 103:1-5
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