The Eyes of GOD

“For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to give strong support to those whose heart is blameless toward Him.”
—2 Chronicles 16:9

Where does your faith lie? We all have faith in something or someone, whether it be an authority, a group, a system, worldview, or person. Every single one of us finds our hope, safety, and security in something. It doesn’t matter who you are, what you have done, what initials you have before or after your name, you trust in something. We all do. The only question is, is it worthy of your trust?

The Bible gives two ways to look at life, through the eyes of the world or through the eyes of faith. Which is what the apostle Paul was referring to when he wrote, “we walk by faith, not by sight”—2 Corinthians 5:7. He was not referring to literal walking, but how one lives his or her life. We do not live by what we see going in the world, but by faith, by trust in GOD, who directs us. And to the world this is foolishness, but to those of us who are saved by the power of God, it is wisdom (cf. 1 Corinthians 1:18).

This principle is not found only in the New Testament, but it dramatically illustrated in the Old. There was a king of Judah named, Asa. He started off well, receiving the designation from the Chronicler, “And Asa did what was good and right in the eyes of the LORD his God”—2 Chronicles 14:2. He followed God and dedicated himself to seeking the LORD and directed his people to do the same (2 Chronicles 14:3). When war came knocking on his door, he turned unto the LORD his God, calling out unto Him, asking for Him to intercede on Judah’s behalf. God responded to his pleas, honoring and blessing him, giving him victory against overwhelming odds (2 Chronicles 14:9-15). Nevertheless, as time passed and he aged, war came knocking again, but this time, he didn’t rely or turn to God as he did before. He tried to handle things by sight, not by faith. He made an alliance with a wicked king and rather than receiving a commendation, he received a rebuke from one of God’s prophets, a man named, Hanani. Hanani rebukes the king for not relying on God (2 Chronicles 16:7), and reminds Asa how God had worked in the past by giving a great victory over a larger force than the one he was currently facing. And then he says,  

“For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to give strong support to those whose heart is blameless toward Him”—2 Chronicles 16:9.

God delights in showing how glorious He is. He wants to be shown to be the focus of our life. He does not care about how big our bank account is, what school we attended, or what job we have. He doesn’t care about how nice your stuff is or where you live. He cares about how much you trust, value, and love Him. God is looking for people that are looking to Him. He doesn’t want to see how much we think we have it all together. He cares nothing for that. He doesn’t care at how adept we are at business. He doesn’t care about our past accomplishments. He cares about how much we value, prize, and treasure Him. In other words, He cares about where out faith lies.

Where is your faith? Have you been like Asa in trusting in God or in your own ability? Are you walking by faith in Him or in how you can maneuver in the world (i.e. sight)? May we all, turn unto Christ and may our lives continually be directed to Him. May we turn from all aspects of sight and what we can do, but looking unto Him, the author and perfector of our faith, and continually delighting in now what He can do, as much as what He has already done. Amen.