Daily devotional, April 15, 2024 The watchtower
"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
Watchtowers are useful structures that have stood the test of time. In ancient times it was used to ensure the protection of a city against invaders. Guards are stationed in the tower to watch against threats to their kingdom or territory. In the medieval times, and up until now, it was used to watch over prisoners, especially in big detention areas. It is also currently being used in mountainous and heavily forested lands to detect wildfires at its earliest stage.
As followers of Jesus, we can rest assured that our Heavenly King watches over us 24 hours a day, seven days a week. He watches us to ensure our welfare and protection. His eye is on us to see to it that His divine will in our lives come into fruition.
"The Lord watches over you—the Lord is your shade at your right hand;the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night."
Psalm 121:5-6
As the God who sees everything, He assures us that He hears our pleas. He guarantees us that He knows everything and that we should not fear because His love covers us:
"You have kept count of my tossings; put my tears in your bottle. Are they not in your book?Then my enemies will turn back in the day when I call. This I know, that God is for me."
Psalm 56:8-9
Apart from His protection, His watchful eye is also meant to guide us and keep us on the right track. In Psalm 32 where King David in part spoke prophetically about God’s response to the restoration of their fellowship, God assures that His gaze will be our guide. This is akin to a parent letting his child know what the right thing to do is in a given situation just by only looking at him and the environment they are in:
"I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you."
Psalm 32:8
And since His eye is on us, we need not be afraid of what other people will think of us. We will not be afraid of what others will say about us as long as we try our best to abide in the Lord.
"The Lord looks down from heaven; He sees all the children of man;from where He sits enthroned he looks out on all the inhabitants of the earth, He who fashions the hearts of them alland observes all their deeds."
Psalm 33:13-15
If we trust that the Lord sees everything that we do, and sees what is in our hearts, we can go through life without overthinking about other people judging us for what we do. We can get rid of that anxiety that cripples us from doing what we think is right. Besides, God promises us that our efforts to do good things will not go to waste:
"But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you."
Matthew 6:4
The Lord is a relational God. He sees us and everything we do. He sees the good that we do, and He sees our sins. These truths should at least further motivate us to continue nurturing the relationship we have with Him. It should assure us that He loves us so much that even if He knows our failures, weaknesses and waywardness, He still chooses to love us.
Thank you for reading through our devotional today. I invite you to ponder on Psalm 33:13-22 and Psalm 121:3-8 to dig deeper on today’s topic.
Reflection Question: Have you ever felt like God does not see you and your sufferings? Or the good works that you do?
Conversation with the Lord: Almighty Father, thank you for watching over my life. For assuring me that your loving eyes are on me and that you protect and counsel me. Give me the confidence to continue doing what is pleasing to your eyes, knowing that your joy should be my strength. Amen.