Seen; Kept!

Seen; Kept!

For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil.

1 Peter 3:12 KJV

Context:

Peter first addresses those who are married among his audience, pointing to the blessings that accrue from marriage. Even when one partner is not saved, the life choices of the saved one can become a message to the other. It just shows that there is nothing I do that is in vain; God does not do mediocre or ordinary. My life is gifted and placed to make impact, and I owe it to God to make it so.

Peter then goes on to speak to everyone else. The offer is for WHOEVER chooses to respond, and to choose life as offered by God. It is an offer to anyone, but the benefits are for those who respond to the offer. How can I lay claim to the blessings of a God I do not recognise as such over my life? Check out what such a person needs to do: refrain his tongue from evil, refrain his lips that they speak no guile, eschew evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it. As I read these words, it is quite clear that anyone who will get all that God is and offers must be willing to align with what this God wants. There is no room for inactivity, indifference or inaction. Inaction itself is a sign of nonchalance. 

Message and Response:

Today's extract makes it clear what I stand to gain if I do what God wants. Please note the most important personal information in the verse under consideration: the righteous. It is not just anyone; these are for people who have made the ultimate surrender, giving up control to the one who is Lord and Master and Saviour. Am I one of such people? Are you? It is not what people call you, or how you seek to express yourself, but that quiet confidence and assurance that you belong to God, and the presence of God in you providing an assurance of eternal life. If any of these things is missing, you have this one life to make sure you get it. Your eternity will be glad you did. 

So, what does being righteous give me? First, I get God's eyes on me. This is a God who already sees and knows everything; imagine him with his eyes fixed OVER me, with nothing about me escaping his attention. Note the words eyes OVER. God sees from a vantage point: not a single thing about me escapes his attention. He watches my going out and coming in; shielding me from evil because he can see them long before they even manifest. 

Secondly, his ears are OPEN to my prayers. What can beat having God listen in on my conversations, providing answers and assurances, and giving me peace, no matter what the response to my prayer is? I am sure he has heard me, and I go on to face whatever the world throws at me because of his backing and support. I note that I may not get what I want, but I have all that I really need. When you have God, it does not really matter what else you don't have. If you don't have God, then nothing you own or hold now will do you good on the day God demands his life from you.

And that leads to the third point: for all you live in sin, and do evil, the Lord is not just an onlooker or a bystander, but one who is actively opposing those who do evil. It may look like evil is succeeding, but by the workings of God's grace, he does not delight in the death of a sinner. He is always ready with open arms to welcome in all those who turn away from sin and turn to him. As long as I turn to sin, God turns his face away from me. Even for his son Jesus, God turned away his eyes as his son hung on the cross, and for the first and only time, we see Jesus cry that his father had forsaken him. That is the consequence of sin and if God could deal with his own son this way, imagine his view of sin, especially when one does not repent and holds on to it to the end. 

I have a choice to make: seek after God's righteousness or remain in sin. There are only two choices, both with equally eternal consequences. God tells us all what the present features of both extremes are down here, so that I can make an informed decision. He does not leave me in doubt, and I can't claim ignorance because once again, I have now read it. God wants to do mighty things in the lives of all of us, but the greatest limitation is always the exercise of my own freewill. I am enjoined to seek after the righteousness of God; only by it can I get all that God offers, and also end up where he is. His time of favour is here.