THE ALL-SEEING EYE

I grew up going to a small country church where one of my uncles lead the worship. Uncle Redic Pace was a gentle, kind man whose blacksmith shop I loved to hang around in and watch him create all kinds of neat things out of steel and iron. Quite often however, during Sunday worship he lead the song, 'THERE'S AN ALL SEEING EYE WATCHING YOU'. That song, coupled with the steady diet of 'hellfire & brimstone' preaching we heard over and over, caused me to develop a near frantic phobia about being thrown into hell with the devil. I had some very realistic nightmares about such a tragic end for my life and I could never figure out why God didn't like me. As an adult I slowly outgrew the nightmares but the tortured image of being in hell were never erased completely, which isn't a bad thing if we learn to see the whole picture of God's grace, love and forgiveness.
These words of David encourage my spirit: "From heaven the Lord looks down and sees all mankind; from His dwelling place He watches all who live on earth - He who forms the hearts of all, who considers all they do." Psalm 33:13-15 NIV
God is a vigilant Father who is involved in the lives of His children, He pays close attention. BUT, to correct NOT to condemn. This was never really taught to me as a young kid or even a teenager. Finally, I matured enough mentally and spiritually to read God's word as a son would read the words as coming from a loving father. Here is what I discovered after being in full time ministry for nearly a decade: "Behold the eye of the Lord is on those who fear Him, on those who hope in His steadfast love, that He may deliver their soul from death and keep them alive in famine." Psalm 33:18-19 ESV So it's true, there is an all-seeing eye watching me but His purpose isn't to condemn my soul to hell, it is to save me. That was a revelation to me as a young father and husband who had wrestled with much that I preached and didn't really believe.
I praise my Father every day for sending His Son to take away my fear and replace it with His love. Over and over David refers to God's love as "His steadfast love". Today I can truly say I am comforted and totally at peace knowing that my Father has His eye on me all the time. I finally learned that I can lift up my soul to Him in the absolute confidence that, like me, He is a Father really cares about His kids. I think that calls for a HOLY HALLELUJAH!