“For the Scriptures say, “If you want to enjoy life and see many happy days, keep your tongue from speaking evil and your lips from telling lies. Turn away from evil and do good. Search for peace, and work to maintain it. 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.””
1 Peter 3:10-12 NLT
This passage of Scripture from 1 Peter 3 includes a quotation from Psalm 34. In this Psalm we read, “The eyes of the Lord watch over those who do right; his ears are open to their cries for help. But the Lord turns his face against those who do evil; he will erase their memory from the earth” (Psalm 34:15-16). This is not the only Scripture that records God’s watchful gaze. We read in Psalm 121:5, “The Lord himself watches over you! The Lord stands beside you as your protective shade”. Proverbs 15:3, “The Lord is watching everywhere, keeping his eye on both the evil and the good.” Jesus Himself warned about the outcome of God’s watchful presence, “The time is coming when everything that is covered up will be revealed, and all that is secret will be made known to all. Whatever you have said in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have whispered behind closed doors will be shouted from the housetops for all to hear” (Luke 12:2-3). We may object to many security cameras and other devices intruding into our privacy, but nothing we do or even think escapes God’s scrutiny.
Is such a thought a scary one? It may be for some, and of course we remember that God is recording it all in books to be opened on the final day of judgement. But more positively for us pilgrims it brings into play the picture of a loving Heavenly Father, who cares for us. He wants us to become more like His Son Jesus and through His Spirit He gently cleanses us, both in thought and deed. It won’t happen overnight and will take a lifetime to bring about any change for the better. But thankfully, as we confess our sins, God then forgets them. They are blotted out of His records. Through the prophet Isaiah, God said, “I have swept away your sins like a cloud. I have scattered your offences like the morning mist. Oh, return to me, for I have paid the price to set you free” (Isaiah 44:22). He will never reject a repentant person, sincerely approaching His throne of grace.
We pilgrims should note as well that God is attentive to our prayers. The NLT translation calls them “cries for help”. Either way, because God is always present and approachable, He listens to what we are saying. A prayer need not be formatted in ecclesiastical fonts and riddled with phrases from a bygone era. “Thees” and “thous” are not obligatory. As we share our thoughts and words with God, He understands not only the words but the stuttering and perhaps confused thoughts behind them. He listens, and He answers, in one of three ways – “Yes”, “No” and “Not yet”. But sometimes we just need to share our difficulties and challenges, assured that he is there listening. We may not need or appreciate an answer. We just relax in His caring arms, feeling His warmth and presence. Feeling the breath of His Spirit bringing the assurance that we are not alone. And we remember that every time we pray there are three others apart from ourselves involved – God the Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit.
Peter didn’t include the last stanza of Psalm 34:16. About those that do evil, we know that “[God] will erase their memory from the earth”. And that is of course so very true. Evildoers are soon forgotten but those who do good are remembered and honoured. And there will come a day when the wicked will be briefly remembered, to be confronted by their evil before they are cast away for good into a place where there are no memories. The good will hear those precious words, “Well done …”. Those who do right enjoy the watching presence of God. As we pilgrims follow the right paths, He will care for us and protect us from evil.
Dear Lord. We pray “Deliver us from evil” every time we pray Your prayer. Thank You. Amen.
Being a Pilgrim 