“The eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward Him” (II Chron. 16:9).
The meaning of this famous passage of Scripture is clear, and its truth has been demonstrated a thousand times over. God is constantly searching, as it were, for men whom He can bless and use in the fulfilling of His purposes, but for whom, and through whom, does He accomplish His ends?
He does not need the world’s influential giants, for He says in Zech. 4:6: “Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit, says the Lord of hosts.” Over and over, the Bible talks about the “eyes of the Lord” on us. What does that mean? And what difference does it make?
1. The eyes of the Lord are inescapable. Proverbs 5:21 tells us that “a man’s ways are before the eyes of the Lord, and he ponders all his paths” (See Proverbs 15:3 too)! God sees it all because He’s watching.
2. The eyes of the Lord are synonymous with what’s right and true. Deuteronomy 6:18 says, “And you shall do what is right and good in the sight of the Lord, that it may go well with you.” We read about Old Testament kings who “did what was right in the eyes of the Lord,” and leaders who “did not do what was right in the eyes of the Lord.” The eyes of the Lord are constantly gazing on us and moving us toward what is good.
3. The eyes of the Lord are focused upon and attentive to His own. While God sees everything that happens on your block, He has a predisposition to fix His attention upon what’s going on in the lives of His children and to extend loving care toward us. 1 Peter 3:12a says, “For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are open to their prayer.” Because you love Christ, God pays attention to you in a special way.
4. The eyes of the Lord are searching for people to bless. God is looking for people on whom to show His favor. 2 Chronicles 16:9 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.” He’s flat-out looking for people who want to experience His strength. He’s never tired of picking out His children in the crowd.
5. The eyes of the Lord are provoked to grace when He observes a righteous person. Genesis 6:8 says that “Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord” (nkjv). What a great challenge; what a great promise. I hope that when God sees you and me, He says get more blessing over to that child; He loves My Son!
This week at South Side we will look at this passage and discover why the Lord is looking for us. We would love to have you and your family come and worship with us. Worship begins at 10:45 and we hope to see you then!
In Christ,
Barry Pettit
Sr. Minister
South Side Church of Christ
www.southsidewch.com
