“For His eyes are on the ways of a man, and He sees all his steps.”
(Job 34:21)
Right now, this very moment, God sees you and me. While Christ has a glorified body, He is also like God the Father as an eternal spirit and as such He is infinitely and eternally present. Empedocles, a 5th century BC Greek philosopher, said, “God is a circle, whose center is everywhere, and whose circumference is nowhere.”
We say that God is in the heaven of heavens, where the angels and departed saints enjoy His glorious presence, and that is true. The heaven of heavens – or simply heaven, as we think of it – is called that (Deut. 10:14) because it is the highest heaven and contains the other heavens within its sphere. It is also referred to as the heaven of heavens, because much like the “holy of holies” in the temple, it far surpasses all the rest in splendor and glory (Isa. 66:1; Prov. 5:21).
But while God is in heaven, He is also everywhere else. He simply does not manifest in the same way as He manifests Himself in heaven, which is why we cannot see Him here on the earth. Yet He testifies countless times in Scripture that He is everywhere, “Can a man hide himself in secret places so that I cannot see him? Do I not fill heaven and earth?” (Jer. 23:24).
And because God is everywhere, no man is excluded from His presence. “The eyes of the LORD are in every place, keeping watch on the evil and the good,” (Prov. 15:3). Sinners can never hide themselves or their actions from God. When they sin, He is right there with them, seeing and accounting for all their iniquity.
People often think they can sin in secret and thereby conceal their actions. We think if our sins are committed under a veil of darkness, we are safe enough. We think if we escape the judgment bar of an earthly judge, we will never be accountable at any other judgment bar. But these misconceptions fail to realize that God sees and knows everything we do, think and say. It is impossible to hide from God. He knows all our steps (Job 34:21).
The reason it is so important to understand and grasp this truth is because all our deeds, as well as the very inward thoughts of our hearts, are all noted by God and will be judged righteously at the last day by Jesus Christ. “You … whose deeds are in the dark and who say, ‘Who sees us? Who knows us?’” (Isa. 29:15) remember… God knows.
- It is foolish for me to think that I can sin before You, Lord, You know me perfectly. You see me and all I do. It is sad to me that I still sin because, when I do, I’m acting like the atheist who thinks You don’t exist. When will I give this up? Lord help me become more aware of Your holy presence, though I don’t see You with my physical eyes. Help me remember that my ways are always before You, and You see all my steps.
- Lord, You not only see the actions of my heart and soul, but You weigh everything I do in the balance of Your justice. I know everything I do falls short of what is required by Your Law; even my very best efforts yield nothing but filthy rags. You are most assuredly, “a God of knowledge.” How fearful I would be if I did not have the Lord Jesus to rescue me from such judgment!
- I should never allow myself to forget that You see all my steps. How do I push such a thought out of my mind when I sin against You? I would never sin if I truly believed that every action will be judged according to Your holiness. Maybe I make excuses like Paul describes in Romans – shall I go on sinning that grace may abound to me in Christ? Certainly not! I must never forget that God is present… and He sees me.
- Lord, You know and discern everything about me. You know me better than I know myself, and You are very patient with me. In fact, You are more patient with me that I am with myself. You see my failings, You see me sin, even though I am redeemed by the blood of Christ. I know that I grieve You, and that I put Your patience to the test all the time. I would ask that Your Spirit help me live a life that is more pleasing to You, that I might be more conformed to Your holiness and Your Son’s perfect and righteous image. Help me always walk as if every step is observed by You, Lord, because it is.
Further References for Job 34:21
Job 31:4; Prov. 5:21; Jer. 16:17; Prov. 15:3; Heb. 4:13
