The Eyes of the Lord (2 Chronicles 16:9)

For the eyes of the LORD roam to and fro over all the earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose hearts are fully devoted to Him - 2 Chronicles 16:9

There is nothing that the grace of God cannot accomplish.

He is not stingy in giving out His grace but is - literally - dying to bestow it in abundance upon all.

However, He will not give us things we are not ready for. He will not bless us if that blessing will cause us harm.

Jesus has revealed God to be a good Father. This was a radical revelation at the time, and remains radical today. It is so radical in fact that two billion Muslims consider it highly inappropriate to consider God in such a way.

If a 7 year old boy asked his father to give him the keys to his truck so he could drive it, would it be good of that father to grant his son's request?

In the same way, from God's perspective, many of our requests to Him seem much the same as the seven-year-old boy's. Even if we can't possibly see how granting our requests could harm us or others, we must remember that the difference between God's wisdom and knowledge so vastly dwarfs ours, that even the comparison between a grown man and an infant cannot do it justice.

God sees the end from the beginning. He knows how every choice we make today will echo throughout eternity. God certainly cares about our temporal happiness - but with regard to His dealings with us He has one goal in mind, and that is our eternal salvation. And when I use the word salvation, I do not mean going to heaven after we die. That is merely one aspect of salvation, and truthfully not even the most important one.

Salvation in the truest sense means union with Christ. Living forever in heaven, as amazing as it is, is a byproduct of salvation, not salvation itself.

Salvation involves the complete transformation of our identity. It involves gaining the ability to experience peace in the most chaotic of circumstances, and joy in the most painful. Salvation is the process by which we come to know and live in our true identity as sons and daughters of God.

The eyes of the LORD roam to and fro over all the earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose hearts are fully devoted to Him.

This is the key. This is how we become open recipients of the glorious grace of God. Not by being good. Not by being smart. Not by being holy. Not by doing specific good works. But by simply being devoted to Him. By making Him our all in all.

If God becomes our chief aim in life, there is nothing that can stand against our success in ultimately hitting the mark.

But the hour is coming, and is now here,

when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth,

for the Father is seeking such people to worship him

John 4:23