God Is Watching
Sometimes it seems like God is the ultimate Santa Claus. He knows who's naughty and nice. If you're righteous, he takes care of you. If you're wicked, you'll be ruined. There's no point in pouting or crying, because he already knows if you've been good or bad. If you're not scared already, just remember: he is coming to town. There's a way of talking about God that makes him seem creepy and scary.
The Psalms are filled with complaints. For instance, Psalm 3 starts, "LORD, how my foes increase! There are many who attack me. Many say about me, 'There is no help for him in God.'" Psalm 143:3 says, "For the enemy has pursued me, crushing me to the ground, making me live in darkness like those long dead." When I gather with friends at church, we ask God to heal their bodies, find them jobs, and restore broken relationships. Sometimes we pray the same prayers for years. How can we say that God watches over the righteous? The Psalms don't deny that life is hard, and sometimes God seems absent. But Psalm 1 is orienting us to God so that we can live well. Santa knows about us, keeps a private list, and uses that information to punish or reward us. In Psalm 1, the word translated 'watches over' can mean 'knows.' It's the same word used when God saw his people suffering in Egypt: "God saw the Israelites; and God knew" (Exodus 2:25). God isn't watching his people to punish us, but because he cares for us. If we give up hope that God knows and cares about us, we cannot stay committed to his ways. To sincerely love God and our neighbors requires going against the intense social pressure, and our own preferences, to put ourselves first. For those who have committed themselves to God's ways, Psalm 1:6 is the necessary foundation for lifelong faithfulness. It takes faith that there is a God who cares for us to keep choosing righteousness, whether we are in abundance or need (Philippians 4:11-13). The wicked face the same difficulties in life as the righteous. The difference is how they respond: by going their own way. It seems liberating to choose your own adventure. But we are selfish, foolish creatures. When we reject God's design for our lives, we ruin ourselves.
Jesus called himself the good shepherd. He said, "I know my own, and my own know me, just as the Father knows me, and I know the Father" (John 10:14-15). What does it tell us about God that he wants to know us?
When have you felt afraid of God?
What are you handling on your own because you're afraid that God would mess it up?
The Psalms encourage us to pray honest prayers. Tell God, "You said you watch over the way of the righteous. Do you see what's happening in my life?" Talk to him about the details that don't make sense.