11-20-2016

Mark 6:48; “And he (Jesus) saw that they were making headway painfully, for the wind was against them. And about the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea.”

    I’ll keep my eye on you.  That is a phrase that parents will often tell their children.  The funny thing is that when the child is 5 or 6; they see it as a security blanket as they begin to venture out.  When they are 15 or 16, well it is seen as more of a hindrance or embarrassment.  They want their parents to see them as capable of dealing with whatever comes along.

    Knowing that someone is keeping an eye on you can mean one of two things.  We can be like the 5 or 6 year old and see it as a comfort as a security.  Knowing that someone is watching out for you can be a comfort as you attempt something new.  Knowing that someone who has done the job, or driven the route, or has already had the experience.  It can be comforting knowing that someone with experience can step in and take over or at least offer some sage advice.

    Of course knowing that someone is watching can be disconcerting as well.  There are times when we don’t want someone else to see what we are doing, hear what we are saying, or know what we are thinking.  There are times when we would like to think that no one is keeping an eye on us.  If no one is watching, stealing that piece of candy, or saying that unkind thing or know the thoughts that our sinful heart is forming.  It is at these times that we don’t want someone to keep an eye on us.

    As the sinful being that we are, we don’t want God keeping an eye on us.  We want to have some hidden time to let our hidden sins fester and grow.  The problem with that is that we do not have any hidden sins; all of our sins are seen by God.  We only fool ourselves if we think that some of our sins are hidden.  God sees all.

    Yet as God’s redeemed children, we can take great comfort in the fact that God keeps an eye on us.  Living in a broken and sinful world, we are often making headway painfully.  We are making headway but there is a lot of pain and sorrow along the way.  Our headway is moving forward with our life; each moment we are closer to heaven.  But that journey is an arduous one.  We come upon times and events which are new to us.  The death of our parents, the time of learning who were are in this world, the time of marriage, the time of child rearing, the time of aging and the time of death are all new experiences.  We can take comfort that God keeps an eye on us.  He looks out for us and he prepares the way for us.  He gives us comfort and consolation along the way.  He goes ahead of us in order to prepare for us.  He goes ahead of us because he has already gone ahead and paid the price of our debt.  He has already experienced the pains of this life for us.  So he has compassion on us.  His mercy is ever upon us.  The psalmist says that we are “the apple of your eye” and we are. God keeps his eye on us with his grace and mercy.

Father of all goodness, you guard and protect us and keep your eye upon us.  Keep s mindful of this truth so that we may have comfort and peace in the knowledge of your mercy.  In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret