1Peter 3:12-13(NLT)
12 The eyes of the Lord watch over those who do right, and his ears are open to their prayers. But the Lord turns his face against those who do evil.”13 Now, who will want to harm you if you are eager to do good?”
My great-grandmother was the quintessential matriarch of our family. She was generous and tirelessly poured into others, but she also taught me two very important lessons. The first is to always save something for yourself, and the second is to never forget where I came from. The aim of her wisdom was to make sure I understood my own responsibility towards my happiness and well-being, and the other was to make sure I treated everyone with respect and kept it all in balance. No matter what situations in life I’ve faced, that bit of wisdom has helped me more than I can say. It is ingrained in my womanhood.
Growing up in the south had its own brand of what is right and wrong. As kids, we knew that respecting our elders was the right thing, and most importantly, we knew that honoring God was a must. Honoring God meant that a person had a particular integrity, and it was counted on and expected in the part of the south where I grew up. We were taught to have respect for God and others from the moment we opened our eyes as babies. Today, I’m so grateful to all the women and men in my family and community that taught me God’s Word, because now that I’m older, I haven’t departed from it. I have in fact built my life on the solid foundation of Jesus Christ.
Sadly, the knowledge and instruction in 1Peter 3:12-13, and wisdom like my great-grandmother’s, isn’t taught in grade school. I’ve met countless numbers of individuals that we’re never taught the Word of God in any way. Most of them grew up to be adults who don’t consider seeking the Lord, and never knew that He had a purpose for their lives. They have had many opportunities to turn to Him, but they choose not to. Then, when they face some of the most gut-wrenching times of their lives, they don’t know they can lean on God’s strength to get them through. They suffer horribly, without any real comfort, because they refused to know God through our blessed Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
The psalmist said in Psalm 10:17-18(NLT), “17 Lord, you know the hopes of the helpless. Surely you will hear their cries and comfort them. 18 You will bring justice to the orphans and the oppressed, so mere people can no longer terrify them.” This is the God we serve and honor. It is so wonderful to know that He opens His ears to hear our prayers, and He will never forsake us because we honor Him and desire to do what is right.
There are some people whose names are written in God’s Book of Life, but they haven’t yet heard the Word in a way that leads to their conversion. As believers, we can have an impact on them. We need to eat, sleep, and drink God’s Word so that when we have an opportunity to minister the Gospel, we are prepared to tell others about Jesus Christ, and do so very plainly.
There is so much disruption and chaos happening in the world, and the devil is busy with bombarding people so they will not turn to God. They are blinded from the truth by satan, but for those of us that have come into the light of Christ, we know that the eyes of God have been on our lives since we came into this world. It has made all the difference for us. We must remember that everyone may not have had an opportunity to know Him as we have. That’s why you and I must be eager to do good as 1Peter 3:13 says, so we can introduce them to the Lord Jesus Christ, and they will come to know him like we do. ■
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.
“God Is Watching Over Us”, written by Kim Times, edited by Reverend Fran Mack, for Sundie Morning Sistas ©2021. All rights reserved. All done to the glory of God through Jesus Christ, our Lord! SMS is dedicated to inspiring and encouraging Christian Women through the Word of God.