not hidden – Praying Pint

152. To give strong support to those whose heart is blameless toward him.

1 Kings 15:9 In the twentieth year of Jeroboam king of Israel, Asa began to reign over Judah, and he reigned forty-one years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Maacah the daughter of Abishalom. And Asa did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, as David his father had done. He put away the male cult prostitutes out of the land and removed all the idols that his fathers had made. He also removed Maacah his mother from being queen mother because she had made an abominable image for Asherah. And Asa cut down her image and burned it at the brook Kidron. But the high places were not taken away. Nevertheless, the heart of Asa was wholly true to the Lord all his days.

2 Chronicles 16:9    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.

Jeremiah 16:17   For my eyes are on all their ways. They are not hidden from me, nor is their iniquity concealed from my eyes.

Proverbs 5:21   For a man’s ways are before the eyes of the LORD, and he ponders all his paths.

Proverbs 15:3    The eyes of the LORD are in every place, keeping watch on the evil and the good.

Psalms 34:15     The eyes of the LORD are toward the righteous and his ears toward their cry.

Hebrews 4:13     And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.

If your life was being chronicled like those in the Bible, what would be recorded? Would it be said that you did right in the eyes of the Lord and wholly true to Him or would it say something along the lines of being more lukewarm, lacking conviction, and being influenced by worldly things more than by God.?

I think it would do each well to examine their life, thoughts, and actions in light of God’s word. Of course, this would require time spent in His word with an open heart and desire to have your eyes and ears opened to hear Him speak into your life. I think this is where commitment falls apart. When we have to spend time and effort to be led by God it becomes a burden. When we want, desire, and seek to spend time and effort to be led by God it becomes our purpose for living.

When you get up in the morning do you say I get to spend time in God’s word or do you think I have to spend time in His word? Getting too will be a blessing and having too will be a burden. Having to do the right thing is different than wanting to do the right thing. I have to because God said is different than I want to because God said. I have to thinks there is something to be earned. I want to thinks God is worthy and that they are thankful. One is a partial heart and one is a whole heart. One life is blessed and the other is not. One finds peace, joy, hope, strength, power, love and courage the other finds disappointment, frustration, unhappiness, and confusion.

Our lives, thoughts, intentions, and actions are not hidden from God so why do we pretend that they are. You get to choose to seek and desire God. You get to choose to live for Him. You get to choose to surrender to Him, honor Him, serve Him, follow Him, obey Him, trust Him. These choices will lead you on paths with purpose. Choose and commit to seek and desire God every moment of every day.

1 Hearts far from Me

“Surely I am too stupid to be a man. I have not the understanding of a man.”

“ I said in my heart with regard to the children of man that God is testing them that they may see that they themselves are but beasts.”

“Be not like a horse or a mule, without understanding, which must be curbed with bit and bridle, or it will not stay near you.”

Psalms 73:21 When my soul was embittered, when I was pricked in heart, I was brutish and ignorant; I was like a beast toward you. Nevertheless, I am continually with you; you hold my right hand. You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will receive me to glory. Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. For behold, those who are far from you shall perish; you put an end to everyone who is unfaithful to you. But for me it is good to be near God; I have made the Lord GOD my refuge, that I may tell of all your works.

Psalms 92:5 How great are your works, O LORD! Your thoughts are very deep! The stupid man cannot know; the fool cannot understand this: that though the wicked sprout like grass and all evildoers flourish, they are doomed to destruction forever;

Psalms 69:5 O God, you know my folly; the wrongs I have done are not hidden from you.

Isaiah 29:13 And the Lord said: “Because this people draw near with their mouth and honor me with their lips, while their hearts are far from me, and their fear of me is a commandment taught by men, therefore, behold, I will again do wonderful things with this people, with wonder upon wonder; and the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the discernment of their discerning men shall be hidden.” Ah, you who hide deep from the LORD your counsel, whose deeds are in the dark, and who say, “Who sees us? Who knows us?” You turn things upside down! Shall the potter be regarded as the clay, that the thing made should say of its maker, “He did not make me”; or the thing formed say of him who formed it, “He has no understanding”? Is it not yet a very little while until Lebanon shall be turned into a fruitful field, and the fruitful field shall be regarded as a forest? In that day the deaf shall hear the words of a book, and out of their gloom and darkness the eyes of the blind shall see. The meek shall obtain fresh joy in the LORD, and the poor among mankind shall exult in the Holy One of Israel. For the ruthless shall come to nothing and the scoffer cease, and all who watch to do evil shall be cut off,

Matthew 15:7 You hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy of you, when he said: “‘This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’”

I think about my heart and if I am just serving God with my lips. There are times when I can’t make sense of the purpose of my life. I know it is to humbly serve, honor, follow and obey God, but what does that look like lived out. Am I understanding His word in a way that is intended? Are my ears open to hear His whispers of guiding me? Are my eyes open to see His handy work? Am I being filled anew each day with His Holy Spirit? Do I desire Him more than this world? Are my ears itching to hear something to confirm my lack of commitment is enough? Am I a fence rider and living for this world and yet speaking of heaven? Are my desires more for what this world has to offer? I look forward to the day this battle with sin is over and I am with Him forever. I trust in His grace, mercy and love through the redemptive work of Christ to usher me home with Him forever.

Sinking

Psalms 69:1 Save me, O God! For the waters have come up to my neck. I sink in deep mire, where there is no foothold; I have come into deep waters, and the flood sweeps over me. I am weary with my crying out; my throat is parched. My eyes grow dim with waiting for my God. O God, you know my folly; the wrongs I have done are not hidden from you. Let not those who hope in you be put to shame through me, O Lord GOD of hosts; let not those who seek you be brought to dishonor through me, O God of Israel. For it is for your sake that I have borne reproach, that dishonor has covered my face.

Lamentations 3:54 water closed over my head; I said, ‘I am lost.’

Psalms 69:14 Deliver me from sinking in the mire; let me be delivered from my enemies and from the deep waters. Let not the flood sweep over me, or the deep swallow me up, or the pit close its mouth over me.

Jonah 2:3 For you cast me into the deep, into the heart of the seas, and the flood surrounded me; all your waves and your billows passed over me. Then I said, ‘I am driven away from your sight; yet I shall again look upon your holy temple.’ The waters closed in over me to take my life; the deep surrounded me; weeds were wrapped about my head at the roots of the mountains. I went down to the land whose bars closed upon me forever; yet you brought up my life from the pit, O LORD my God. When my life was fainting away, I remembered the LORD, and my prayer came to you, into your holy temple.

Isaiah 43:2 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you.

Can you hear the cry in David’s words. The anguish and heart ache. Yet in this notice his want to continually honor God. “Let not those who hope in you be put to shame through me, O Lord GOD of hosts; let not those who seek you be brought to dishonor through me,” Through the trails he faced he did not want others to bare shame or dishonor because of him. David trusted God with his whole heart, mind and soul. It would have been easier to think only about himself. On this side of eternity we will face many things beyond our control and at the consequence of others actions. We will also face things as a consequence of our own actions. Coming to God, crying out to Him, is our hope, our refuge, our fortress, our power and strength to face what is before us. We stand on His promises and we wait for His perfect purpose and timing. Commit to spending time in His word for the purpose of knowing Him and how to humbly serve, honor, follow and obey Him.