MELVIN M. NEWLAND, MINISTER
RIDGE CHAPEL, KANSAS, OK
TEXT: 1 Peter 3:12; Psalm 139:1-14
ILL. A little boy living up north was looking forward eagerly to the birthday party of his friend who lived only a few blocks away. When the day finally arrived, a snowstorm was making driving hazardous.
But the boy insisted that didn’t matter – he could walk to his friend’s home. And he could do it all by himself. He didn’t need any help. In fact, he didn’t want any help. He was a big boy now.
Still his father hesitated. "But Dad," he pleaded, "all the other kids will be there. Their parents are letting them go.” Finally, the father replied, "All right, if that’s what you really want to do.”
Overjoyed, the boy bundled up for the trip & plunged out into the storm. The swirling snow sometimes made it difficult for him to see, & it took him nearly half an hour of trudging through the snow to get to his friends house.
But finally he was there. He climbed the porch steps, & reached up to ring the doorbell. As he did he turned to look back behind him, & he saw the receding figure of his father who had followed him all the way just to make sure that he arrived safely at his destination.
I like that! I like the idea of a father who would allow his son to tackle something difficult on his own, but who at the same time would make sure to be there if he were needed. I think that’s one of the characteristics of real love.
With that in mind, listen to what the apostle Peter tells us in 1 Peter 3:12, "… the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous & His ears are attentive to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil."
I. HIS EYES ARE ON US
And Psalm 139:1-3 says, “O Lord,...you know me. You know when I sit & when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out & my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. …
“You created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully & wonderfully made…” (Vs’s 13-14)
The writer of that Psalm says that God created us & He knows us. He knows us even better than we know ourselves. And His eyes are upon us!
He is aware of the frustrations that weary us, the dreams we have dared to dream even when everyone else doubted, the fears that trouble us, & the joys that fill our hearts. He knows our disappointments, & the heartaches that have come our way. He knows us, & He loves us!
And in Isaiah 46:4 God says again to His people, “I have made you, & I will carry you; I will sustain you & I will rescue you.”
And in the midst of all that complicates our lives - remember this simple but marvelous truth: "…the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous." And because they are, be assured also that “His ears are attentive to their prayer…"
II. HIS EARS ARE OPEN TO US
ILL. Katie Jones wrote, "One morning I overslept. Then, while rushing around the kitchen, I spilled a glass of orange juice all over the counter. After that, I got stuck behind a slow driver & was late for work.
"When I got to work, it was hectic. The phone was ringing. The computer kept crashing. Customers were waiting. And there was a stack of orders to be filled. I was anxious. So I took a deep breath & said a quick prayer. 'Dear Jesus, please calm me, & help me adjust my attitude.'
"I started ringing up customers in the pharmacy. 'That will be $3.16.' Hmm - $3.16. John 3:16 popped into my mind. Later, I picked up a bottle of medicine. The number 316 was in the stock number. It couldn't be a coincidence. That afternoon, I looked at the clock. It was 3:16. Again, I whispered John 3:16 & thanked Jesus for His grace.
"That crazy morning at the pharmacy changed me. When I asked Jesus to change my attitude, He reminded me that He loved me enough to die for me so that I could have eternal life. I don’t ever want to forget that.
"Now I set my phone alarm for 3:16 p.m. every afternoon. When I see the number 316, I thank Jesus for His love.
"Jesus constantly reminds us to focus on Him. He wants our thoughts anchored in His mercy & grace. He etches His words upon our hearts because He wants us to remember Just how much He loves us.."
(From "Mornings With Jesus" March/April 2020, March 24)
Listen again to the apostle Peter, "For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous & His ears are attentive to their prayer."
We can be sure that God is waiting for us to come to Him, to talk to Him, to lay before Him our goals, our dreams, our fears & our uncertainties!
ILL. John McArthur, in a sermon called, "Praying For The Right Things," said: "Sadly, the prayers of most Christians are directed toward the wrong stuff. … The prayers are often misdirected, short-sighted, & selfish.
“People typically pray for health & happiness & success. They pray for personal benefits. They pray for comfort. … They pray for a healed body, or a home, or food, or a job, or a car, a husband, a wife, a promotion, & more money.”
Now those things, while they certainly make up a big part of our lives, were very low on the Apostle Paul’s priority prayer list.
Listen as he tells the Christians in Thessalonica what he is praying about concerning them: "That is why we always pray for you, asking our God to help you live the kind of life He called you to live. We pray that with His power God will help you do the good things you want and perform the works that come from your faith." (2 Thessalonians 1:11 - The Answer)
In other words, he is telling them that he & Silas & Timothy are constantly praying for them – for them to be living lives pleasing to God, worthy of Christ’s sacrifice for them, & that God will be able to use their attitudes & actions as living witnesses of His love.
So not only are the eyes of the Lord on the righteous & His ears attentive to their prayer, Peter also says that the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.
III. HIS FACE IS AGAINST THOSE WHO DO EVIL
A. There have been times that God has most definitely intervened in the course of human history on behalf of His people. And Jesus Himself taught us to pray, asking God to “…deliver us from evil.”
God delivered His people in miraculous ways from oppression & slavery in Egypt, & from the pursuing Egyptian army at the Red Sea (Exodus 14:21-28). God parted the Jordan River (Joshua 3:15-17) & flattened the walls of Jericho (Joshua 6:20) as the Children of Israel entered the Promised Land.
And when the Philistines captured the Ark of the Covenant, & put it on display in their cities as a sign of their God Dagon’s superiority over the God of Israel – God intervened again. In city after city God’s hand was heavy upon them & the Philistine cities were panic stricken.
1 Samuel 5:10-11 says, “… the people of Ekron cried out, ‘They have brought the ark of the god of Israel around to us to kill us & our people.’
"So they called together all the rulers of the Philistines & said, ‘Send the ark of the god of Israel away; let it go back to its own place…’ For death had filled the city with panic; God’s hand was very heavy upon it.”
SUM. Again & again God intervened. From Gideon’s victory, to the death of 185,000 Assyrian soldiers in just one night when they were besieging Jerusalem (2 Kings 19:35); to Daniel in the lion’s den (Daniel 6:16-23); & Shadrach, Meshach, & Abednego in the fiery furnace (Daniel 3:19-20) - God’s power has been evident when His people cried out for His help.
B. In fact, I’m convinced that there is much evidence that God intervened in the formation of our nation. Our founding fathers, by & large, were praying people. And God answered their prayers. I truly believe that God has blessed & protected our land in many more ways than we will ever realize. For example:
ILL. On Aug. 27, 1776 - not long after the Declaration of Independence was signed, George Washington's Continental Army of 8,000 men found itself trapped at the water’s edge of the East River, near Brooklyn, NY.
20,000 of the finest battle-hardened British soldiers were poised to attack. Washington’s little army was trapped, & the Revolutionary War was going to be over almost before it had really begun.
But for some reason the British delayed their attack, possibly waiting for their fleet to sail up the river & close the trap. But suddenly, rains came & a strong northeast wind arose, preventing the British fleet from sailing.
When night fell, Washington began to evacuate his army across the mile-wide river in small boats, a few men at a time, trying to save as many as he could.
As the light of morning approached, he knew that his small boats would soon become easy targets for the British artillery.
But just as the sun arose, an unusually dense fog formed & visibility dropped to just 6 yards. The fog remained in place until the very last boat, carrying Washington himself, set off across the river.
Then it suddenly lifted, and the British were stunned to see the shore empty of men. Guns were fired at Washington's boat in the river, but it was out of range. And not a man of the Continental Army was lost!
Of course, some will say that was just a lucky break. After all, there’s no proof that God had anything to do with the sudden rains & wind & unusually dense fog.
But that is not what those Continental Army soldiers thought. Many of them kept diaries, & almost all of them attributed this "amazing coincidence" to the intervention & protection of God.
And that is just one of a series of "amazing coincidences” that occurred during the Revolutionary War, & even since then, also. God has certainly blessed America!
And I believe that the God who did it then can do it now if He will.
But will God continue to bless America? Should He? God has said, “If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves & pray & seek my face & turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven & forgive their sin & will heal their land.” (2 Chronicles 7:14)
Folks, if ever there was a time for fervent prayer, it is now. If ever there was a time when people of God should be united in prayer, it is now. So will you please bow your heads now with me as I pray?
“Oh Heavenly Father, we come to You this morning confessing that we are sinners, asking your forgiveness & seeking your direction & guidance & protection in our lives.
Father, you have told us that your eyes are upon us, that you hear our prayers, & that your face is against those who do evil. Right now our nation & even most of the world finds itself living in fear of the coronavirus.
I pray for our leaders, that You give them the wisdom & courage they need to make the decisions that are best – that which is ultimately the best for our nation & for the world.
I pray for firstresponders - for police & firemen, for paramedics, nurses & doctors, & all who are involved in protecting us & providing the medical care that is needed.
I pray also for the men & women of our armed forces serving in both the United States & throughout the world. Please keep them strong & capable to provide the protection needed to insure that we, & our children, might live our lives free & unafraid.
And I pray for us, too. I pray for those who are a part of our church family, for our loved ones, our neighbors, & our community.
I pray for those who have, in the past, turned their backs to You. In this time of crisis & confusion may your Holy Spirit reach into their hearts convicting them of their sins, leading them to a saving knowledge of Jesus as the Christ, the Son of the Living God.
Search us, O God, & know our hearts today. Try us & see if there be some wicked way in us. Cleanse us from every sin, & set us free. We pray this in Christ’s name, Amen.
INVITATION
