God Sees All

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Do you remember those times in your life when you tried to cover up a mistake or a wrongdoing?  I do.  They haven’t gone away, and I didn’t get away with them.  Even if I had, I soon learned that God sees everything.  Nothing is hidden from Him, but oh how we wish it were.

There is nothing so difficult to live down than having our sinful self revealed to all.  We may not realize how frequently sin rears its ugly head.  I am reminded of an incident in my life several weeks ago.

I was feeling tired, frustrated with all that had to be accomplished, and most of all angry at the car parked in the driveway of the gas station.  For some reason, people had decided the space before the door to the convenience store was a new and acceptable parking space.  I do not understand it.  It is not even marked for parking, but there is always a car there.

On this night, another car was pulled up to the gas pump, so the space between the two cars was narrow.  About the time I was getting ready to drive between them, the driver of the car that wasn’t supposed to be there got out.  I still remember the poor guy’s face as I railed at him as I went by.

Even I was shocked by my outburst of wrath.  He was a young fellow, coming out of his car with a smile, but it didn’t last.  He couldn’t have helped but hear my tirade over his choice of parking.  The look on his face is still with me, for I know I caused the joy to leave it.  Maybe my sin pushed him into sin as well when he went home and took out his upset on someone else.

My only consolation was that I didn’t have to repent of cursing, but the words were nasty none the less.  I could have cried in shame and anger at myself, but my pride tried to excuse it, while my conscience condemned me.

Sin is never done in secret, for our Lord sees it all.  He even knows the motives of our heart. We can’t hide from Him.  Do you remember a famous Bible couple who tried to hide from God?  If you answered Adam and Eve, you would be correct.  They knew the instant they ate of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil they were disobedient.

When their time with God came in the cool evening, they hid from Him.  This, of course, did not escape God’s notice, for in times past, can’t you imagine their joy in meeting Him at this special time.  God knew, but He called to Adam anyway.  Soon the sin was revealed.  From then on, everything changed.

Sin changes us and it changes those around us.  Adam and Eve were changed forever, as are we as a result.  Looking back to the Garden, I realize they must have remembered their sin after leaving the Garden.  Their lives were spent in toil and sorrow, and they always remembered why.

We remember our sin, but thankfully our Lord does not.  Consider the comforting words of 1 John 1:9, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

King David of Israel knew what it felt like to be caught in sin.  His sin was very public, given that he was the King and a man and a child died because of it.  Yet he wrote these comforting words in Psalm 103:12, “As far as the east is from the west, so far hath He removed our transgressions from us.”

I rejoice that while I remember my sin, my Lord does not.  He has forgiven me and cleansed away the awful stench of it.  I am left with the memory of it; it keeps me alert to my sin nature and serves to act as a deterrent when I might be tempted to another outburst of wrath.

God is so good to us.  I praise Him for His mercy and grace, and pray that I might exhibit it to others when they wrong me.

“For the ways of man are before the eyes of the Lord, and He pondereth all his goings.”  Proverbs 5:21

 

 

Copyright © 2012 by Linda Hull of Words of Encouragement