Anglican Morning Devotion for 20 February 2022 Anno Domini
a ministry of the Anglican Orthodox Communion Worldwide
“For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him.” (2 Chronicles 16:9a)
“And when Sarai dealt hardly with her(Hagar), she fled from her face. 7And the angel of the LORD found her by a fountain of water in the wilderness, by the fountain in the way to Shur. 8And he said, Hagar, Sarai’s maid, whence camest thou? and whither wilt thou go? And she said, I flee from the face of my mistress Sarai. 9And the angel of the LORD said unto her, Return to thy mistress, and submit thyself under her hands. 10And the angel of the LORD said unto her, I will multiply thy seed exceedingly, that it shall not be numbered for multitude. 11And the angel of the LORD said unto her, Behold, thou art with child, and shalt bear a son, and shalt call his name Ishmael; because the LORD hath heard thy affliction. 12And he will be a wild man; his hand will be against every man, and every man’s hand against him; and he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren. 13And she called the name of the LORD that spake unto her, Thou God seest me: for she said, Have I also here looked after him that seeth me? 14Wherefore the well was called Beerlahairoi; behold, it is between Kadesh and Bered. (Genesis 16:6-14; all scripture quoted is from the king James Version)
The fight song of the University of Texas is entitled, “The Eyes of Texas are Upon You.” The song was written in 1902, but the central idea goes back much further. Many accounts over the years have stated that the saying “The eyes of Texas are upon you” was inspired by Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee, who was thought to have often said “the eyes of the South are upon you” as president of Washington College after the Civil War, where Prather had studied. Lee was clearly a beloved figure to Prather. I believe the original thought far precedes that of General Lee’s comment. Let us give credit to where credit is due – the Word of the Lord.
Man’s eyes are feeble and uncertain, but the eyes of the Lord are constant and all-encompassing. “For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him.” If we take this verse out of context, we might assume that the eyes of the Lord are ONLY on the righteous, but that is not the case. His eyes penetrate every nook and cranny of the heart of man – good or bad. We read in the Book of Job: “For his eyes are upon the ways of man, and he seeth all his goings. 22There is no darkness, nor shadow of death, where the workers of iniquity may hide themselves.” (Job 34:21-22)
On two separate occasions, Hagar found herself in the wilderness – out of the sight and out of the mind of man. But the eyes of the Lord found her there by a fountain at first and opened her eyes on the second occasion to see a fountain of water there. She believed she was all alone, but factually speaking, we are never alone. God is present every where under, and above, the sun.
The Eyes of the Lord are far different from the fleshly eyes of mankind. We see the outward superstructure of objects and creatures, but we do not see into the dark chambers of the heart. Even if we had x-ray vision, that vision would still fall far short of the vision of God. He sees not only the appearance, but the spirit motivating the actions of the heart. And the Eyes of the Lord are not limited by the moment of time at which the observation is made. His eyes see every remote event in the past thoughts and actions of every creature. And not only does His Eyes see all of the present and past of each individual, but every thought and action future to our existence. He knew us before the worlds were made, and He will know is when the elements are melted with intense heat.
He knows our hearts better than we know them ourselves. When the Lord at the Last supper made the climactic comment, “…One of you will betray me!” (John 13:21) all the disciples asked, “…Lord, is it I?” (Matthew 26;22) They did not know their own hearts as Christ knew them.
But the Lord has a special Eye for His elect. He watches over them with tender mercy and compassion. Of Jacob, the Lord says: “He found him in a desert land, and in the waste howling wilderness; he led him about, he instructed him, he kept him as the apple of his eye.” (Deuteronomy 32:10) In many references in the Bible we find this term, “…Apple of my Eye,” (Psalm 17:8) to reveal the overwatch of God for His chosen people. Those whom God loves with a peculiar love and affection appear in the reflection of the pupil of His eye because His Eye is Always and forever especially attentive to those whom He knows and who know and answer to His Voice.
