Without Belief in the God who Sees

Scripture: While they were killing, and I was left alone, I fell prostrate on my face and cried out, "Ah Lord God! will you destroy all who remain of Israel as you pour out your wrath upon Jerusalem?" He said to me, "The guilt of the house of Israel and Judah is exceedingly great; the land is full of bloodshed and the city full of perversity; for they say, 'The Lord has forsaken the land, and the Lord does not see.'" Ezekiel 9:8-9

Observation: In a vision, Ezekiel witnesses the spiritual version of the destruction of Jerusalem. God shows him the terrible acts of the people, then calls in the destroyers. One angel marks those few who are to be spared, and the others kill all the rest.

When Ezekiel questions the extent of the destruction - will God truly kill everyone left in Israel as he also is pouring out his justice upon those in Jerusalem - the Lord replies not with a yes or no, but with an understanding of justice. He states that their guilt is evident by the manner of their public actions, bloodshed and perversity. However, he also shows how this has embedded in their hearts ... the people believe God has withdrawn and perhaps doesn't even exist with authority anymore, for they claim he has forsaken the land, and does not see their actions or conditions.

The people have done what they have because they no longer believe in the love, presence, and sovereign nature of Yahweh.

Application: There is a fact I hold central in my heart ... the Lord sees me. Yes, this means he sees my mistakes, my sins, my dark anger, my impure thoughts, my lies, my errors. But he also sees my needs, my hopes, my love, my attempts. And I know he is here, he is present, he is active, and he is in authority of my life and the world around me.

There is no dark room I could go to where he would not see me. There is no other thing in which I could ask for assistance. There is no earthly provision that gives me hope. And I grown as I see others who believe - at best - that the Lord has forsaken them and the world and does not see or care or even exist.

Prayer: Lord, El Roi, Yahweh-Yireh, thank you for seeing me. I know I bring sorrow to you often, but I thank you for not turning away from me. May my faith in Jesus continue to cover my iniquities, and may I grow better under your watchful eye daily. And may the numbers of people in this land and know you are watching and in control grow more and more. Amen.