The Eyes Have It

Psalm 32:8 says, “I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye.”

While riding in the back of a ’55 Ford pickup, standing on a row of bales, holding onto the cattle racks, and wielding a 12-gauge shotgun, it was my job to shoot a coyote on the go. Before you feel too sorry for the coyote, realize that they kill farm cats and dogs, and sometimes a new-born calf. Standing up above the pickup cab and not having to drive, I had a good view of the whole stubble field. When I would spot a coyote out in the distance, I would put the barrel of the shotgun down in front of the windshield pointing in the direction of the coyote. Immediately, my father-in-law would head in that direction—sometimes at 50 mph.

From God’s playing field, He sees what we cannot see. Our text says, “I will guide thee with mine eye.” He rides upon the heavens (Deuteronomy 33:26). Seven times during the creation account “God saw that it was good” (Genesis 1:4-31). God is always keeping His eye upon this world of His. Proverbs 15:3 states, “The eyes of the Lord are in every place, beholding the evil and the good.”

Sometimes we may feel like David—that God doesn’t see our situation. Psalm 31:22 states, “For I said in my haste, I am cut off from before thine eyes:…” David said this in his haste. In the same verse he realized that God heard his supplications. God wants to see us. He also wants us to see Him. He sent Jesus to be with us so we could see what God really looks like. Jesus said, “He that hath seen me hath seen the Father…” (John 14:9). 

In the days of old, King Asa of Judah was afraid of Baasha, King of Israel. Instead of calling on God, he took gold from the treasures of the house of the Lord and hired the foreign King Benhadad of Syria to go against Israel. This seemed to be successful. How much money does the church spend foolishly? Money plans so often fail. God has helped us over and over. We don’t need to buy into worldly thinking to get our strength. Asa was called down by Hanani the seer. II Chronicles 16:7 says, “Because thou hast relied on the king of Syria, and not relied on the Lord thy God, therefore is the host of the king of Syria escaped out of thine hand.” In verse 9, we see how God looked at the situation, “For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him….”

How does God guide us with His eye? Proverbs 23:26 says, “My son, give me thine heart, and let thine eyes observe my ways.” When we ask Him into our heart, He is able to guide us from the inside out. Our eyes begin to see what He sees. We see a lost and dying world that needs Jesus. Lord, give us eyes to see, ears to hear, and a heart to understand.

In the Revelation that Jesus gave to John (Revelation 1:14, 2:18 and 19:12), we see Jesus with eyes like a flame of fire. We might fear that this means He is fiery mad. It could mean that His eyes will see things pure and true and that with a perfect view He will judge us.

In the hymn, “The Heavenly Vision” by Helen Howarth Lemme, the chorus says, “Turn your eyes upon Jesus…, and the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of his glory and grace.” The way I see it, the eyes have it!