Jehovah Yireh

(The God Who Sees/Provides)

 “From the place of His dwelling He looks on all the inhabitants of the earth; He fashions their hearts individually; He considers (understands) all their works.” Psalm 33:14-15

If this sounds trite and simple, hang in there with me: God sees all people. Every single one. This fact should fret the wicked and comfort the righteous. And we have this assurance: since He sees, then He understands them with His perfect understanding, and He knows them with His complete knowledge.

Here’s the thing: from the place of His dwelling He is, at this moment, not only looking upon me, but also looking upon the woman who lives way back in the jungles of the Amazon River in Brazil. The woman who wears no clothes, who eats monkeys for dinner, whose children climb skyscraper-tall trees. The woman hidden from aerial views by the thick green canopy of the jungle top, and hidden from ground views unless you have forced the jungle into submission with machetes, managed to survive the poisonous creatures and critters that lurk in shadows and drop out of trees, scaring the bejeebers out of you, and you have followed a pathless pathway to a tiny village of a few huts—this woman God sees.

He not only sees her, but He loves her. He knit her together in her mother’s womb, and saw all her inward parts, including her heart and mind, while they were as yet unformed. As Job 10:8 says, “Your hands have made (her) and fashioned (her), an intricate unity.”

God knows what she is passionate about. He knows what she fears, what she looks forward to, what she values. He knows her dreams, her name, and what she needs to survive. He knows the limits and edges of her world.

Does she have two pots for cooking? Does she eat insects? Has she ever seen a book? Does she know there are things to learn in school? What or who does she worship? Does she bring outside beauty into her home, as we do with flowers and decorations? What does she celebrate?

Why do I have it so easy while she has it so hard? Why is my bed comfy and soft, while her bed is a woven mat on the dirt? Why can I travel the world and see other places and cultures, while she will never leave the circle of her village?

I’m glad God sees her. I’m glad He knows her name, cares for her, provides for her. I’m glad God made her, just because it brought Him pleasure to do so. I don’t need to worry about her. Oh, if He calls me to go to her and share the gospel, I will go—even though I am deathly afraid of bats, giant jumping bugs, snakes that hang from trees, dog-sized rats, and other creations of God that I’ve spent my life being blissfully unaware of.

I can say this, because I know He sees me wherever I am.

God-Who-Sees, give us Your love for those You see and we don’t. Protect and keep them; reveal Yourself to them, that they may believe and be saved. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.