“You must look at the things that God looks at; you must see what God sees.” – Sunday Adelaja

“God sees us as we are, loves us as we are, and accepts us as we are. But by His grace, He never leaves us as we are.” – Timothy Keller

“Humility begins with seeing who God is, seeing yourself compared to God, and then seeing yourself as God sees you.” – Ravi Zacharias

A few years ago I had the opportunity to climb Wheeler Peak, the highest point in Nevada at just over 13,000 feet.  The picture I attached to this note is from the summit, where snow was still present in the midst of summer.

I remember traveling across the western Utah basin toward Nevada that day.  Temperatures rose above the century mark – a typical day in early July.  But that afternoon at the summit, temperatures were near freezing as brisk, steady winds swept over the peak.

I sat there several minutes looking at the surrounding landscape – marveling at how different things looked at this elevation.  Tall ponderosa pines appeared as blades of grass and the large alpine lakes at the base of the mountain looked like small shallow puddles of water.

I thought about what God must see as He gazes down upon the earth from the heavenly realm.  We must seem small and insignificant to Him – barely noticeable.  Our lives, our movement, and our daily happenings must seem faint and trivial.

As I was making my decent, back to thicker air and life below the tree line, I wondered what it must be like to look through the eyes of God.  What does He see as He looks at us?  What images are visible to Him from above?

God Sees Our Heart

“The Lord does not look at the things man looks at.  Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”  – 1 Samuel 16:7

When God looks down upon us, His vision is focused inward – seeing our desires, our thoughts and what motivates us.  He doesn’t focus His attention on what is happening on the surface but looks intently and deeply within our heart – where the essence of our true identity lies.

Many of us (myself included) can fall into the trap of thinking God’s vision of us is limited.  Like my view from Wheeler Peak, we imagine that God can barely see us at times.  We falsely believe God is reacting and interacting with us based on what is happening outwardly, but in reality; God sees what drives our behaviors and actions in a greater, deeper way then we realize.  He sees needs and desires that haven’t reached the surface of our lives yet.  He sees our sorrows and pain with clarity and has a microscopic view of what can bring great peace and happiness to our lives.  Every dream, desire, and disappointment, every hidden secret, empty void, or painful regret, all that resides deep within our heart, is clearly seen by God.

God Sees Our Humanity

“You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar.  You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways.” – Psalm 139:2-3

“For He knows how we are formed, He remembers that we are dust.” – Psalm 103:14

The times when we feel lonely or as if God has turned His back on us, we need to remember that He is intimately involved in every aspect of life.  I love the words “perceive”, “discern”, and “familiar” that are used in this passage to describe God’s vision of the events and circumstances that surround us daily.  It’s a comforting reminder of the detail in which God sees us.  Something as simple as getting up from a chair or lying down at night, our daily habits and rituals, all are seen, known, and discerned by God.

When we feel condemned, convicted or guilty, we need to remember that God clearly sees our humanity.  He mercifully and forgivingly connects with our frail and weak nature.  The Bible says that Christ is able to sympathize with us in our weaknesses as He himself has been tempted in every way known to man (Hebrews 4:15).

God Sees Our Potential

“For I know the plans I have for you…. plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”  – Jeremiah 29:11

When the hopes and dreams of our lives seem distant, like a drop in the bucket, or like the alpine lake that takes on the appearance of a small puddle because it’s so far away, we must remember that God can see our future clearly.  His plans for us are enormous in scale!  When we see limitations and obstacles, God has the power to see well beyond them to the bright and rewarding future He has in store for us!  When things look uncertain or distorted, we need to turn to God for His guidance and direction – trusting in His vision for our future.

Today….think about what God sees in you my friend 🙂

What does He see deep within your heart?   Remember that every dream, disappointment, hope or sorrow is clearly seen and understood by Him.

Receive God’s loving compassion and sympathy regarding your weaknesses – connecting with His ability to see and understand what it means to be human. 

If your future seems cloudy, are you leaning on His ability to guide you to the wonderful plans He has in store for you?  Currently, you may feel like your dreams and desires are out of reach, but embrace God’s ability to see your potential – never giving up on you or the dreams that you hold close.

As we focus on what is seen through the eyes of God, it’s my prayer that we change our view of God and how we see Him.

God bless 🙂