God Sees It All
“Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.” Hebrews 4:13
The other day I had the joy of going to a wedding shower. It was about an hour away, so I was on the highway, listening to some praise music, enjoying the drive and watching the GPS because I would have to soon exit onto another highway. Suddenly a large SUV came flying by my left side and nearly cut me off. He pulled into my lane, nearly hitting me, then proceeded to weave in and out of traffic across four lanes and was speeding close to 100 mph (161 kph) (the speed limit was 70mph). It startled me at first, it was so reckless. Then I was concerned and a bit annoyed. I literally prayed out loud, “Lord, let the police see that person and pull them over before they cause an accident!”. The words were hardly out of my mouth when another vehicle passed me quickly on the left … It was a state trooper. I laughed out loud, God heard my prayer and answered within moments! That trooper was driving fast, trying to catch up to the one who was driving even faster and recklessly. There were no lights. No sirens. Just an intentional focus and purposeful driving to catch the one who was breaking the law. He wasn’t making a ‘big deal’ of his pursuit so that others were aware. But he saw, he knew, and he was taking action. His goal wasn’t to catch and punish but to stop the behavior that was putting people at risk. Yes, there would be consequences, but the goal was safety and rescue.
I had to take my exit and continue on a different highway and didn’t see the outcome, but I’m pretty certain that the individual who was speeding found himself getting a hefty ticket and a stern talking to about his driving. He had to give account for his choices that were seen and called out by the police. God struck me with the spiritual significance of what I just witnessed. That police officer was like the Holy Spirit going after someone who is running from the Lord. He saw the individual’s choice to sin. He went after them to bring them to account, but also to keep them safe from the danger they were pursuing. He did it quietly and with intention. He had the authority to do so. And hopefully, there was a lesson learned in the process. Yet, few people around really noticed the officer working. He didn’t announce it for all to see. He stayed focused on the one who needed his intervention, even though that individual did not want the attention.
Sometimes our sons and daughters are going their own way, they’re running from the Lord, choosing to sin, indifferent to those around them, or just too focused on their own desires to see how their choices are putting their spiritual safety at risk. They don’t see the heartache they’re causing. But the Holy Spirit is there, He sees, and He’s following them, intent on reaching them to stop them from their destructive ways. He doesn’t come with ‘lights and sirens’; He often comes unexpectedly. But, He sees. He knows. And He is following them. We may not see Him working, but we need to trust that He is. We may be frustrated, “Lord, why don’t you act?!” But He is moving with purpose and intention to accomplish His will in that individual’s life.
The Holy Spirit is working, even when we cannot see it. We may get frustrated, “Lord, why don’t you act?” When, in fact, He is working. But our limited vision doesn’t see His hand. This is what faith is about…trusting in the unseen and resting in the omnipotent power of the Lord of lords. We don’t have the power and authority to intervene just as I didn’t have the power or authority to pull over that speeding driver. I had to trust that law enforcement would do their job. The officer was watching even when I didn’t see him working- it was comforting and a sobering reminder.
God is eternal. We know that, but sometimes we lose sight of what that means. He knows everything. He sees the direction we will go before we even take a step. He’s watching our choices, our thoughts, and our intentions. When we are caught in our sin, we’re often oblivious to the Holy Spirit until He’s right there, upon us, revealing our sin and stirring our conscience, and leading us to repentance. God sees your beloved son or daughter. He knows where they are and what they’re doing. Psalm 139:2-4 tells us,
“You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue, you, LORD, know it completely.”
There is nothing that escapes God’s attention. He is not slow to act. He is not insufficient in His responses. The difficult part for us is waiting and trusting. We want to see a resolution now. We want assurance that our sons and daughters will walk with the Lord. We want relief from the worry and pain. But we need to trust Him that He will intervene and He will work in His time and according to His will.
We need to choose to parent with purpose and intention. When our sons and daughters are going their own way, will we allow that to send us into a frenzy of worry and grief or will we move forward with quiet trust in the Lord? Will we carry our burdens of pain, sorrow, and worry or will we lay them on the altar for God to manage?
When we pray, we are stepping into the supernatural realm with the power of God in us. We are communing with the Great I Am, the King of Kings and Lord of lords, the God of gods. We have access to the Throne room of the One to whom every knee will bow and every tongue confess His Lordship. Why would we allow ourselves to wring our hands and worry our hearts? We have the power of the Almighty on our side.
Whether your son or daughter is walking with the Lord or not, they need prayer. Time is short and Satan knows it. This generation is his target - if he can capture their heart, and their mind, he will be one step closer to his goal of destroying mankind- the image bearers of the Most High God.
Let’s pray with purpose. Let’s pray with intention. Let’s pray a portion of Hannah’s prayer in 1 Samuel 2:1-3 and 10:
Holy Father, Lord of lords, I want to pray like Hannah who said, “My heart rejoices in the Lord; in the Lord my horn is lifted high.” Oh, Lord, You are the One who exalts and who brings down. I pray today that You would work in (name)’s heart today. Get their attention, bring them to repentance. Hannah also said, “My mouth boasts over my enemies, for I delight in your deliverance.” You are the only One who can bring deliverance. Why would I trust in any other? Lord, take my worry, take my grief, soften my heart to be surrendered to Your will and Your timeline. Hannah understood Your authority and praised you saying, “There is no one holy like the Lord; there is no one besides you; there is no Rock like our God.” Help me to praise you, too, and to rest in Your power and authority. Keep me from speaking words that do not honor You or voicing my frustration that things are not yet resolved. “Do not keep talking so proudly or let your mouth speak such arrogance, for the Lord is a God who knows, and by him deeds are weighed.” I pray that (name) would understand that You know and You will weigh their choices, their thoughts, their desires. Give them a heart that longs after You. I know that You see. I know that You are acting, even if I cannot see it yet. I trust You Lord, help me to rest in that trust. You are my hope and salvation. In Jesus’ name I pray, amen.”
Do you know Jesus as your Lord and Savior? If not, who are you trusting in for your eternal salvation? The Bible says, “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.” Acts 4:2
It’s not about being “good” or doing good works to achieve righteousness because nothing we can do would ever be enough to justify ourselves before a righteous God. “All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away.” Isaiah 64:6
But God loves us so much that He made a way. “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.” John 3:16-18
So, how do we believe? How do we receive so great a salvation that when God looks on us, He sees Jesus, perfect, holy, and righteous? Romans 10:9-11 says, “If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. As scripture says, “Anyone who believes in Him will never be put to shame.” Romans 10:9-11
“God's kindness is intended to lead you to repentance.” Romans 2:4 Will you embrace God’s kindness today? Will you declare with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead? Any other religion asks you to give your all for their god, but Jesus gave His all for us so that we could be reconciled to Him.
If you want to surrender your life to Christ today, pray this prayer, “Lord Jesus, I know that I am a sinner. I am lost and separated from You because of my sin- my wrong thoughts, actions, and desires- I confess that. But I believe You died for me, You paid for my sin so that I could stand before You forgiven, justified, and redeemed. I ask that You would be my Lord and Savior. Forgive me. Cleanse me. Make me Your child. I believe that God the Father raised You, Jesus, from the dead so that death and hell have no power over me. I know that one day I will stand in heaven with You as Your child, redeemed, loved, and chosen. Thank you for new life, for Jesus, and for Your mighty forgiveness. In Jesus’ name, amen.”
If you prayed that prayer, would you let me know so I can be praying for you? You now have so many brothers and sisters in Christ who intercede for you and your spiritual growth and protection! Welcome to the Family of God!
If you’re praying for a prodigal, consider this powerful resource, 40 Days of Prayer for the Prodigal. This book walks the reader through 40 days of intentional prayer for the heart of the one who is running from God. It includes a focus on God and His attributes, then an honest explanation of the sin and sorrow that pulls the prodigal away from God. Prayer is scripture-based and journal prompts allow the reader to thoughtfully record what they are praying and learning throughout the 40 day journey. Order your copy on Amazon today!
Helping Our Children Grieve Well
“Be merciful to me, LORD, for I am in distress; my eyes grow weak with sorrow, my soul and body with grief.” Psalm 31:9
No one wants to see their child grieve, it’s heart-breaking. As parents, we just want to ease the pain and reassure them all will be well. We want to see them have joy once again. It’s a helpless feeling and a difficult process to witness. It’s one of those parenting things that no one prepares you for, yet it happens to all of us.
Whether it be the end of a relationship, a broken engagement, the loss of a friendship, the death of a loved one, or the collapse of a dream, it’s all painful and there is little we can do to make it better. Grief is deep and the pain can be life-altering. We need to be careful that we don’t gloss over it with a sweet “it’ll be okay, there will be others” response. We have to be respectful of their experience and carry their grief and sorrow with care. Even if we know for certain that it won’t be a lasting grief, in the moment it is all-consuming and to lighten it with insensitive comments can erode the trust our sons and daughters have for us.
Perhaps it’s grief over sin. We don’t often consider that as part of a grieving process, but it is certainly a valid and Biblical point. Matthew 5:4, “Blessed are those who mourn” isn’t addressing the death of a loved one, but grief over sin. When we mourn our sin, we align our heart with God’s, Whose grief over man’s sin propelled Him to the cross to pay the penalty for our sin and offer a way of redemption and restoration with God.
As difficult as grief is, we also don’t want to avoid it- God brought it for a purpose. He made our emotions and we are made in His image. We want to help our sons and daughters embrace grief mindfully and process it well.
The grieving process can be equated to crossing a bridge. It’s the transition from what was, the ‘old’ settled place, to what is happening right now- the new, unfamiliar and unsettled place in process, shaky and unfamiliar, to the hope of what will one day be a new normal, a resettledness that, although different, feels comfortable and okay. The catch is, we don’t always recognize that process, nor do we tend to manage it intentionally. Too often we let grief run its course, carrying us along as it does. We become a passenger of its ebb and flow, helpless, just waiting until it settles.
https://www.traininternational.org/blog/blog-post-bridge-of-transition
It’s important that when our sons and daughters grieve (and they will) that we are cognizant of the process (pictured in the graphic above) and we encourage them effectively through each stage. It’s especially crucial in that ‘in between’ stage, because that is often when the anger, depression, and deep loss are felt most keenly and where the one grieving can be struggling the most. It is where the loss is manifested in confusion and hard emotions and it is when our sons and daughters will need wise, effective support.
We can’t just tell them to get over it, to ‘keep calm and carry on’. We have to be intentional in what we say and how we encourage. We may not be able to empathize, but we can show compassion, we can be a source of strength and encouragement, and we can pray them through it.
https://www.adaptconsultingcompany.com/2023/11/01/the-bridges-transition-model/
Grief is a response to the loss of someone or something for which we held a deep love and sense of purpose. Grief can accompany a move from one place to another, a job change, a closed door or the end of a chapter in life. Many MK kids (and even PKs and military kids) experience this grieving process when they move to a new mission field, change churches or change duty stations or leave their home abroad to return to the US for university. It's letting go of what was, even if you’re not ready. It's embracing what lies ahead, even if you don’t want to. It’s the losses. It’s all the goodbyes and farewells, knowing that you may never return. It is one thing to leave home…it’s another to leave and know you will never return to that place. That’s hard to accept. Yet Jesus is in it all- of course He is. He is Sovereign. He is Omnipresent. He is LORD.
As believers, we sometimes chide ourselves for sad or angry emotions, those shown in the ‘leaving, chaos, and in-between’ stages. But, emotions are not sin. Scripture shows us examples of so many of these. Consider Elijah who was burnt out and overwhelmed in dealing with the abuse and resistance of Ahab and Jezebel. God didn’t chide him, He cared for him and gave him rest and nourishment. Consider Naomi, who grieved her husband and sons. God didn't take her to task for grieving, He brought others alongside to walk through the grief with her, Ruth and later, Boaz. Then He blessed her with Obed, a sweet grandson who restored Naomi’s hope and joy.
Emotions are not sin, but wallowing in them and allowing them to become our god is sin. When we allow emotions to rule and overcome us so that they are all we’re focused on and they are what directs our thoughts and our actions, that is sin. When we allow them to be the excuse for bad behavior, bad attitudes, and justification for rebellion, it is sin.
Understand, too, deep grief IS all-consuming. And it goes hand in hand with overwhelming, long-lasting emotions. There is no prescripted, appropriate length of time, after which those emotions settle and evaporate. The process is different for each one. How we choose to handle the process is key.
So what can a parent do?
Identify where your son or daughter is in the grieving process. If parents can take a step back and understand where they are in the grief journey, it can give perspective and guide the support and encouragement.
Support them mindfully. When they’re ready, help your son or daughter honestly look at the transition bridge and identify where they are in it. Helping them to see that what they’re experiencing is normal and there is an end to the chaos and confusion that accompanies grief can help them be a bit more mindful of the emotions they’re experiencing and why. Help them to recognize that there is a progression and they’re not just ‘stuck’. If they have context for what is happening, it can provide some reassurance and hope.
Encourage your children to talk to Jesus, to tell Him all that they’re feeling and how overwhelmed they are with it all. He already knows, but opening that communication with Him enables them to begin to listen to Him. It helps them be honest with what they’re thinking and feeling. Far too often, we bury our grief, hide it from others because it’s not well-received or others don’t understand. We put on a mask to pretend everything is okay. God is in the midst of the process and He has a purpose in it. But that is yet to be seen. Pointing to that fact too soon may exaggerate the difficult emotions. It’s a realization that the grieving one has to recognize in time. Talking to Jesus begins a healing process. Tell them to pray out loud, pray while they’re walking, pray prostrate, pray anytime, anywhere. Open communication with the Lord will begin to transform their heart and mind.
So, how can we manage the grief and the transition from what was to what is to what will be?
Take every thought captive. Much of the battle of grief and depression is fought in the mind. This is not a ‘mind over matter’ approach. That is a tendency to ignore or suppress thoughts and emotions. No, the one grieving needs to acknowledge the emotions and work through them, but they also must be intentional to set their mind on things above (Col. 3). That’s hard in the grieving process and it takes time. Grief makes us vulnerable in so many ways. We need to be intentional that we are spiritually protected and not an easy target for the enemy.
Identify where your hope is anchored. If your hope is set on the resolution or the healing, it is misplaced. When we hope for an outcome, we are far too often disappointed, disillusioned, and crushed once again. Outcomes are inconsistent, they change, they rarely result in what we hope for or imagine. No, our hope must be anchored in Christ, the Eternal One, the All-Sufficient One, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. He is unchanging…and isn’t that where we want our hope secured? Hope is the eager expectation of something good, and if we know our Bible, we know that this world is not where that is delivered. God’s good is stored up for us in eternity. We have treasure in Heaven, we are part of His family and He’s prepared a place for us to live eternally with Him. When we know Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, He strengthens and equips us to endure the hardship here because we know He redeems everything and makes beauty out of ashes. He will wipe away every tear. When our hope is anchored in Jesus, we have a steady, unchanging, eternal hope that can weather any storm.
Finally, we must worship in our grief. Worshipping in grief can be a sweet, restorative time between the griever and the Savior. There is something healing about being outside in nature. All of creation knows its Creator and if we sit and listen, we can hear the response of creation to Him. Listen to the wind in the trees, the song of the birds, the chirp and hum of the crickets and bugs. Psalm 96:12 says “Let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them; let all the trees of the forest sing for joy.” and Psalm 148 calls for all creation to praise the Lord. Darkness and light cannot dwell together. Shut out the noise of the world. Allow the Spirit to speak to your heart. Praise drives away the darkness and helps us refocus our hearts and minds on the Lord. Time outside, spent listening to creation, reading Psalms, and even listening to praise and worship music can be healing.
Grieving can make us more like Jesus. That’s not usually something someone in grief wants to hear, yet, `Jesus was a man of sorrows, acquainted with grief. He knew the loss of a loved one; His father, Joseph, died at some point during Jesus’ earthly life. God can use grief to deepen our understanding of Him. Deep love for humanity and the grief over sin is what brought Jesus to the cross. God understands our grief and can use it for our good and for His glory.
Don’t be afraid to embrace grief as a gift. Pray for your sons and daughters to embrace it well, to be submitted to the Lord and His refining process, and to praise Him that He is Present and working through it all. He has not abandoned you and He will not. Though we cannot see a way forward, He is the way-maker. Trust Him, lean into Him. Cling tightly.
“Father, grief is so painful. I know you understand because you watched Your Son grieve- the rejection of His peers, the loss of His earthly father, the betrayal of those closest to Him- Peter’s denial three times while He was being beaten and wrongly accused- all of those and so many more. How did You watch and not intervene? Your love for us enabled You to allow your Son to suffer. It was for Your glory and our good. Lord, I hate to see (name) suffer. Yet I know it is in the hard, painful times that we grow closer to You, we understand Your heart more clearly and we deepen our faith. Father, give (name) hope…no just temporary hope, but deep, abiding hope in Jesus. Help (name) to have assurance that no matter what happens here, You have a purpose and a plan forward. Surround them with other believers who will speak into their life, or who will be a quiet strength to support them through the grief. Lord, bring Scripture to mind that will encourage them and help them set their mind on things above. I pray, Holy Spirit, that You would be the Comforter they need, reassuring them that, although things feel out of control, You are very much in control and You are tempering everything that touches them, even the hard and painful things. Oh, Jesus, I know You understand. You are a Man of sorrow, acquainted with grief. You took on all of our sin, our pain, our shame. You carried this grief that (name) is walking through long before the situation ever occured. We can trust You. I pray that You would increase (name)’s faith and trust today. Give me discernment to support them well. Guard my mouth so that the words I speak would bring encouragement, salt, and light. Guide my steps so that the actions I take would be helpful and supportive. Lord, give light to this situation so that we can see Your hand at work and praise you for it. In Jesus’ name, amen.”
Pray without ceasing.
24/7 Counselor
Psalm 16:7 “I will praise the Lord, who counsels me; even at night my heart instructs me.”
Have you ever gone to bed with a dilemma or problem that needed solving, only to wake in the morning with a solution to what you were pondering the night before? Maybe you woke up with a song in your heart or a verse on your tongue that fills you with hope and you wonder how it got there. Our brains are quite fascinating, so much so that we spend a lifetime trying to figure them out! God designed them to do wonderful things that even science and doctors can’t fully explain. When you weave in the beauty and mystery of the Holy Spirit working in us, it’s amazing!
While we sleep our conscious self is, well, unconscious, but our brain and body are still very much at work. We can still hear things and our brains work to give meaning and make sense of it. And, oh how we dream!! Those thoughts and memories stored in our brains turn into stories and dramas and we wake up only to realize that while we slept and rested, we were actually quite busy. So, if that’s the case, how much more our spiritual awareness continues to be active and alive. When Psalm 16:7 tells us the Lord counsels us- even at night! It’s true!
Here is the wonderful thing about sleep. Not only does it restore and refresh our physical selves, but it works in our brains to cement the learning that took place during the day. “Your brain is making a map of the information,” — “making new connections and breaking other ones.” (1) Sleep enables our brains to lock in the information we learn and makes meaningful connections so we can recall and use that information in new and meaningful ways. Without sleep, our learning suffers and our memory falters.
Just as a scary movie stays with us long after we fall asleep and can cause bad dreams, God’s word in our hearts and minds, it is the ‘material’ He uses to encourage, chastise, and instruct us. Even at night, our heart can instruct us, as long as the ‘textbook’ is God-approved. So, what are we putting into our hearts and minds during the day that can then be confirmed and used by the Lord at night while we sleep? Friends, this is why it’s so important that we spend time in the Word. We want our minds to be consumed with what is true, honest, just, pure and lovely (Phil 4:8) so that when we sleep, our minds and hearts are moved and reinforced by the truth of God. If we are going to be receptive to God’s counsel, we need to know His word. If we want to say, like David in Psalm 16 “I praise the Lord who counsels me” we have to be a willing participant.
Psalm 119:11 “I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.”
Psalm 16:8 “I have set the LORD always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken.”
Psalm 119:55 “In the night, Lord, I remember your name, that I may keep your law.”
Psalm 119:105 “ Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.”
Let’s turn the ‘night light’ on, let’s allow the Lord to move and work in our hearts and minds, even while we sleep. Our Wonderful Counselor is working 24/7 to speak truth into our lives. Can we do our part to ensure the knowledge we consume is worthy of His name?
Today, let’s pray that our sons and daughters are drenching themselves in the truth of God’s word, day and night. Let’s pray that there is much in their hearts and minds that God can use to counsel and instruct them.
Christmas Season Prayer Challenge: When you see a sign that says ‘open 24 hours’ pray for the people who walk into that business. Pray that they would come to know the Wonderful Counselor who is always ready to move and work, redeem and restore.
Pray without ceasing.
NBCUniversal News Group. (2017, October 23). What happens in Your body and brain while you sleep. NBCNews.com. Retrieved December 8, 2021, from https://www.nbcnews.com/better/health/what-happens-your-body-brain-while-you-sleep-ncna805276.