Original Entry:
March 2, 2009
McMinnville, OR
But the eyes of the Lord
are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love. Psalm 33:18
I was a teen growing
up in The 80’s. They will be remembered as a decade of peace, prosperity, fun,
and growing up. The colors were bright,
the songs were upbeat, and the heroes were men-men’s men (from a teen
perspective of course). I grew up
idolizing stars such as Sylvester Stallone, John Claude Van Dam, Chuck Norris
and who could forget Arnold Schwarzenegger’s role in Conan, Terminator and
Predator?
In Predator Arnold,
played Dutch, the leader of an elite strike force that was called into a Central
American jungle on a black ops mission. Things turned when the hunters became
the hunted when an alien from outer space began to kill his men for trophies.
Dutch, of course, uses his skill and insight to ultimately kill the beast. I
apologize for ruining the movie if you have not seen it.
At first glance our
weak bodies, smooth skin, long child rearing length, and laughable killing
features should make man the ultimate prey. However, being made in God’s image
(Genesis 1:26) and our great mind has made us the ultimate predator.
Predators are easy to
spot in nature. Look at the eyes. Eye sockets on the side of the head like
deer, elk, moose, and antelope are for seeing predators at many angles. Their peripheral vision, combined with the
senses of smell and hearing are what keep them alive. Look at the eyes of a predator and you will
see sockets mounted in the front of the skull to spot and stalk with pinpoint
focus from long distances away.
Man, as you know is
the predator of all predators. Psalm 33:18 tells us that, “The eyes of the Lord are on those who
fear him.” Theologically we know
that God’s omnipresent eyes never leave His creation but according to Scripture
the eyes of the Lord focus on some more than others.
This is possible because
some men choose to turn away from him.
Some choose Hell over Heaven. Some choose hedonism over holiness. Could it be that a man’s eyes were not
created to look out to his prey, but up to his God? The eyes of God are locked on those who, “hope in his unfailing love.” Hope is a total trust and individual
focused upon something we yet to receive.
It is, “fixing our eyes on Jesus
the author and perfecter of our faith” (Hebrews 12:2).
Not only does God
look down upon his creation but he hunts for those who are hunting for him.
