Keeping Watch


 

So do not fear I am with you;

do not be dismayed, for I am your God.

I will strengthen you and help you;

I will uphold with my righteous right hand.

Isaiah 41:10

There is a huge difference in being watched and being watched over. Too many people have a concept of God as judge. They see him as standing nearby watching and waiting for the mistake, the sin that will surely come. When it does he will pounce. “Gotcha’!” That isn’t who God is or how he operates. God is omnipresent, yes, but he is here with us to protect us, guide us and love us.

          We love the words in Romans 8:38-39.  Nothing can separate us from God’s love. That’s sounds great but does he have to watch every move? Yes, yes he does.

          I thought about this the other day when I heard our kindergarten teachers talking about classroom visits from the administrators of our school. For the most part the ladies were rattled. One of the teachers new to our school this year, asked if they pop in often. The atmosphere at that lunch table was a little bit stressed, until one of them spoke and flipped the idea on its head.

          “I see it as them trying to help us. They come in, see what we’re doing and then from a different perspective they can tell us what to do, how to fix stuff that isn’t working.” She went on to say that she does the best that she can each day but it is very open to new ideas. She saw the drop-in visits as fresh eyes and new outlooks. She wasn’t at all threatened and her attitude gave her whole team a new way of seeing things.

          We love the idea of Immanuel, God with us, when we are sad, frightened or lonely. When we’re in sin or contemplating sin or simply just goofing off, we’re not so sure omnipresent works for us. Is God watching and looking for that mistake, that misstep, that sin, just so that he can punish us? No! No, he is not!

          The words of Scripture that tell us that God is always with us are usually accompanied by, “do not be afraid” or “do not be discouraged.”  God is not waiting to attack, he’s waiting to help. God loves us more than we can possibly imagine.

          I love Kelly’s take on the administrator drop-ins, there to help not criticize. I hope that more and more we can all see God’s presence in the same way, here to help, to guide and to lavish love.

         

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