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

As a parent, I have become aware of interesting behavior in myself that I first realized by observing my children. For example, small children make sure their parents are watching them. Teenagers, on the other hand, don’t want that. They would much prefer to be left alone. A young child will run up to mom or dad to remind them to watch. A teenager will use their bedroom door to block the view.

Still, at the same time, even the toddler will hide. I think it’s cute how some kids disappear when they need to fill their diaper. Conversely, even private teenagers will scan the crowd to make sure their parents are watching them perform. We have conflicting desires. Sometimes we need attention. Other times we want to be left alone. I suppose all that is natural. We see Jesus slipping away from others to be alone. Privacy can be a good thing.

It’s one thing to seek or hide from your parents. God, on the other hand, is a different story altogether. He’s everywhere. We can’t run and hide from him. Jonah tried that. We all do. It can be very unnerving to think about how this can be, that God is everywhere, all the time. How can this possibly be?

This is both good and bad, in our eyes anyway. It’s good that God is watching us when we want him to, but we don’t like it when we don’t want him around. Like a teenager, we tend to get in trouble when we are alone too long. I think this concept is self-evident. It’s actually a good thing that God is watching us when we are up to no good. It’s a good thing to know that he is.

It’s also a good thing to know that God is there when we need him. Isn’t it comforting to know we don’t have to search for him when things are falling apart? He is always there to help us in our time of trouble.

Maybe the best thing is that Jesus is there to be our friend. Just to be there to enjoy. Just for the sake of being together.

John 15: 15 No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you.

What a friend we have in Jesus!

Father, thank you for always being there.

Copyright © 2019 Scott Powers