Watching from on High
While Sandy and Luna romp on the floor, Bella sits like a queen above them on the sofa’s arm. She watches them intently as they wrestle, ambush, and play tag.
Eventually she leaves her perch to seek a quiet place for a nap. The energetic exertions of the kittens have either bored her or tired her. Probably, both.
Watching Bella watch the kittens, I think of Heaven’s royalty– Sovereign Yahweh, King Jesus, Holy Spirit– with regal bearing, watching the activities of humanity.
And that thought took me into a scripture search for verses reinforcing that image.
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 all and observes all their deeds. Psalm 33:12-15 ESV
The eyes of the Lord are in every place, keeping watch on the evil and the good. Pro. 15:3 ESV
Can a man hide himself in secret places so that I cannot see him? declares the Lord. Do I not fill heaven and earth? declares the Lord. Jer. 22:34 ESV
These verses capture the regal bearing exhibited by Bella as she watched the kittens at play, intent on their competition and combat. Does our focus on being better than the next soul appear as frivolous to our Lord?
Thankfully, He regards those who love and respect Him differently than He does humanity in general, as revealed in Psalm 33:18-19 (ESV).
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.
Surely, this is how I want Him to see me—as one who hopes in His steadfast love because He has delivered me and keeps me alive in both this dimension and the next.
Yes, “My Heavenly Father watches over me.” I can instantly “hear” George Beverly Shea singing that!
What a good memory you have! I’m afraid it is a memory I cannot share. I know GBS, and I remember hearing him and seeing him on TV. But I remember no more specifics than that. I’m glad that my essay brought that blessed memory to you. Thanks for telling me about it.
Hi Linda,
I see some parallels in your story with my observations of our little backyard flock of 11 chickens. Most of them rush out to greet me in the early morning when I toss out their scratch and peck grains. At lunch time I give them some people food scraps. They run to me as their “provider.” However, when I go into the chicken run for maintenance, some will follow me around to see what I’m doing and others will run away from me, not wanting anything to do with me–except when I feed them. I wonder if God looks at his little flock of 8 billion people seeing some follow Him and others run away wanting nothing to do with Him?
Blessings, Jim
I’m quite sure that God does indeed see us as we see our animals bless us with their antics, both positive and negative. It just makes sense, doesn’t it?
Your thoughtful responses are most welcome. Thanks for taking the time to reply.