“…the God who holds your breath in His hand and owns all your ways…” Daniel 5:23

Watcher of Men

Today, at the very moment this is written, and at the exact moment you are reading this, God sees us. I am overwhelmed at how many people God is watching, the magnitude of circumstances He is coordinating, the world leaders He is directing, the many weather patterns and geological forces He is putting into motion in each area that affect the coming days and weeks—all over the earth.

It is morning now, before daylight, and the wind is causing the trees to bend their knees before the power of that unseen force. The stars, all of which God has named, twinkle with celestial joy. The moon stands exactly where God told it to, and in an hour I will see that the sun is where it always is.

While we are edging towards winter, the other hemisphere turns its face towards summer. The rain and hail wait in God’s treasuries until He calls them forth. The thunder and lightning will visit earth when He gives the command.

All this brings forth wonder in me, but in spite of what seems like a full-time job as weather-maker and nature-overseer and nation-director, yet God’s main work is us. He is the watcher of men. For those sleeping at this moment, He is directing their dreams and visions. While their minds are unconscious, He keeps their bodies functioning. For those awake at this moment, He oversees their activities, knows their hearts and thoughts, and plans good for them. For His saints, He directs His angels to minister to them (Hebrews 1:14, Psalm 91:11); His Spirit is active in them, leading, comforting, enlightening; His Word guides, comforts, encourages, and warns them.

A.W. Tozer wrote, “When the Lord lays His hand upon a man, that man ceases at once to be ordinary, and his life takes on cosmic significance…. Now he gets a face and a name and a place in the scheme of meaningful things.” When we consider all that God sees and does, it is humbling to consider that He notices each of us particularly, gives us work to do in His kingdom, watches over us in all our ways—every step, every word, every thought, every act.

His watchful intentions are “…that He may incline our hearts to Himself, to walk in all His ways, and to keep His commandments and His statutes and His judgments, which He commanded our fathers” (1 Kings 8:58). He watches us, not to punish every wrong thing we do, but to keep us on the right path, always leading us to Himself.

“Father, we thank You for watching us. You are the God who sees. We owe our very life and breath to Your continuous care. Incline our hearts to follow You. Amen.”