The Special of the Day… From the Orange Moon Cafe…
"Perfectly and Personally"
"Someone exists who does not see 'en masse.' Indeed, we can be quite sure the Lord Jesus Christ never saw a crowd in His life, but rather viewed all one by one by one by one."
If only one human being existed on the earth, he or she would be a complex, "fearfully and wonderfully made" creature beyond all imagination (Psalm 139:14). Add more than eight billion other citizens who presently live in the world, and a wonder of complexity staggers the mind.
That is, the complexity staggers our minds. One exists, however, who perfectly and personally gazes upon all with complete understanding of who and what we are in spirit, soul, and body.
"All things are naked and opened unto the eyes of Him with whom we have to do" (Hebrews 4:13).
"Thou, God, seest me" (Genesis 16:13).
I think of this sometimes when in or near a crowd, or when viewing large gatherings of people at televised events. Someone exists who does not see "en masse." Indeed, we can be quite sure the Lord Jesus Christ never saw a crowd in His life, but rather viewed all one by one by one by one. All mattered to Him, to the degree He would ultimately suffer and die for all, again, one by one by one by one (II Corinthians 5:15; I John 2:2). As A.W. Tozer suggested of John 3:16, "What it means is that everybody matters to God."
We do not possess the capacity to perfectly and personally see as does God. We can, however, realize He can and does see all with an awareness saturated with gracious and merciful desire, whereby all matter to Him far more than we can comprehend. This will greatly affect our view of multitudes, and of those times when we are in the presence of one. God grants to us the privileged responsibility of perceiving people with the remembrance of how His Word declares He sees them. Our Heavenly Father views all through the lens of the redeeming work of the Lord Jesus, and His offer of salvation through Him. Wondrously, He also views the most mysterious of all humans - ourselves - in this holy light of the cross, the empty tomb, and the mercy that proceeds from the throne of grace. Recalling the grace we have personally found in God's eyes will go far in reminding us to view all others through His Christ-directed gaze. "The Lord is good to all, and His tender mercies are over all His works" (Psalm 145:9)
"Perfectly and personally" - God sees all accordingly. Remembering and affirming such wonder will result in our seeing people far differently, be it in the presence of many, or of one.
"The LORD looketh from heaven. He beholdeth all the sons of men. From the place of His habitation He looketh upon all the inhabitants of the earth."
(Psalm 33:13-14)
Weekly Memory Verse
When Thou saidst, Seek ye My face, my heart said unto Thee, Thy face, Lord, will I seek.
(Psalm 27:8)
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