“For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.”
1 Samuel 16:7

“…God be in my eyes and in my looking, in my mouth and in my speaking,In my heart and in my thinking…”
16th century Sarum Primer   

God, Be In My Eyes, Mouth, and Heart

We can all fall victim to misreading an observed situation. When we assume we rightly discern the motive of another’s heart, we play a dangerous game. Here is a “snapshot” of that very happening, a real-life example of how this occurred during my family’s summer reunion. We had gathered in the living room and our son picked up his guitar to play and sing. Soon our daughter joined the singing and then our 9-year-old grandson blended in, too. Pure joy filled my heart! Quickly I tiptoed from the room to grab my camera and record this fleeting moment of harmony and relationship. It had been three long years since we were able to be together. You see, our daughter’s home is an arduous fourteen-hour plane ride away. Very recently, she had lamented to me that in their adult years, she and her brother had found it difficult to build and maintain meaningful relationship given their distance and busy lives. Seeing their sweet interaction and connection made me absolutely jubilant. 

I began to imagine the happy memories my photos would later evoke. In focusing on the thoughts of my daughter, regrettably, I blanked out input from my son that renders me culpable in what was soon to transpire. He had let me know, several times over, that though he often sang and played in front of large groups of people, when he played before family, he found it embarrassing, and sometimes smothering, if I focused attention on him. So with the third click of my camera, down went the guitar, silent went the voice, and frozen on me was his look. What followed were his words of frustration and resentment met by my feelings of hurt, humiliation, and dishonor. I perceived my motives were misunderstood, but I managed to hold my tongue.

Evaluation and retrospect drove me to the Lord. What does His wisdom suggest for this situation and, more broadly, for our general enlightenment? First, we need to daily read God’s Word, storing up wisdom to be applied in our circumstances. Second, each morning we need to ask for a fresh infilling of the Holy Spirit who gives us counsel, guidance, and necessary recall. Third, in prayer we need to ask that we be empowered to walk in love. Peter urged the believers to “…see that you love one another with a pure heart fervently” (1 Peter 1:22b).

“Gracious Lord, keep me mindful of my daily need for the counsel and wisdom that comes from Your Word. Prompt me to seek, each morning, a fresh infilling of Your Holy Spirit. Set a guard on my mouth so I speak only words of grace and healing. Finally, cover my shortsighted eyes with the farseeing lenses of Your love. I ask these things in the preeminent Name of Jesus. Amen.”