The Eyes of the Lord

He sees our potential, like this fern in its infancy.

I’ve been fascinated reading through the Bible chronologically, especially when comparing the stories in Kings and Chronicles. Scholars say the books of 1 & 2 Kings are written from man’s perspective and the books of 1 & 2 Chronicles tell those same stories from God’s perspective. The life of a king was often summarized in one of two ways: “he did right in the eyes of the lord” or “he did evil in the eyes of the Lord.”

As I read both the stories side by side, I noticed how King Abijah is portrayed negatively in 1 Kings 15 (“he committed all the sins…; his heart was not fully devoted”) – but in 2 Chronicles 13, the content is three times longer and there are many positives (“the Lord is our God and we have not forsaken Him”).

Another example is the account of King Manasseh in 2 Kings 21: “he did more evil…, caused Judah to sin…, and he shed so much innocent blood…” But, in 2 Chronicles 33, the account tells of how the Lord got his attention, how God then heard his humble prayer and was moved to restore him and “Manasseh knew the Lord is God.”

These examples show that when a human relays a series of events, he may focus on the negatives – but not so with God. He looks for the good, remembers the positives and focuses on the potential!

Regarding the One who sees all and knows all, 2 Chronicles 16:9 says, “The eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him.”

God is for us. He longs to see us persevere and to succeed. How different would our own stories look if we saw them through “the eyes of the Lord”? Instead of phrases like “missed the mark,” “stubborn” or “fell short,” we might see words like “adapted,” “faithfully pursued,” or “patiently trusted.”

How might God be seeing your life differently than you do?

God, thank you that you have a plan for my success. When I see the negatives, I will remember that you work all things together for good. When the wait is long, I will be patient and remember your timing is perfect. When the road is hard, I will listen for your voice to direct my next step. If God is for us, who can be against us?