His Eyes

At the end of September, a friend posted an October scripture reading challenge where all of the verses mentioned eyes.  I picked up the gauntlet and have been reading various scriptures all pertaining to eyes, most of which are about His eyes, the Lord’s eyes, on us. This month’s verse focus has brought to mind the verse Psalm 121:3-4 which states “He will not let your foot slip— he who watches over you will not slumber; indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. His eyes are never closed.”  I have often said in my prayers “God, don’t you see how your loved one (or I might use a specific name) is suffering, in pain, is lonely, in need, etc.”  When I pray in that manner, I am questioning God as to whether He is seeing what I am seeing.  I feel my own rebuke for even giving a breath to His lack of seeing the situation.  The truth is that He saw it long before I did in a completely comprehensive, all knowing manner.
 
Three years ago, I had an experience that I fortunately had only heard about but never experienced.  I was sitting in my area in the ICU at the hospital one Monday morning and turned my head rather quickly to the wall clock wondering how time was passing.  In that movement I saw burst of light and flashes followed by “floaters” little spots floating in my vision.  As I turned back, I knew immediately, without asking anyone I had a torn retina. I also knew that to prevent permanent, irreparable damage, the eye would need to be treated by laser within a week.  Only by God’s help did I really have such a grasp on what just happened.  The experience was classic symptoms. I informed my supervisor and left early that day in search of an eye doctor who took my insurance so that I could have an exam.  I still had vision and drove myself to my area of town. I parked in one of the parking lots in the shopping area.  I began to pray, asking God to help me in my search of an eye doctor harshly chastising myself for not knowing my eye care insurance and my lack of attention to the care of my eyes.  By God’s power, the first office I entered was able to service me immediately giving me a limited report of both of my eyes given their exam limitations.  It’s an understatement to say I was overwhelmed with the description of what the doctor said but moreover dismayed that this was not a one-stop remedy office.  The eye doctor could not fully assess my eyes, so I would have to be referred to a retina specialty doctor.
 
Do you ever feel like things are just not simple in life any more?  While I felt some relief to have a referral to the retina doctor, I quickly discovered that due to insurance I needed a PCP referral not just a referral from the eye doctor, or maybe the better term is eye examiner. You know, the people who evaluate you for glasses.  Nevertheless, I already knew the PCP referral was going to be an issue because the Thursday before I tried to see the PCP for an issue; however he was out of town for several weeks.  I once again was going to the Lord for help because I knew this was a problem that couldn’t be shelved for weeks.  I had seen a random doctor the week before who, while not in practice with my doctor, was in network with my insurance.  Because he had seen me the week before, by God’s divine intervention, he was willing to write a PCP referral to the retina specialist. See, while God sees all, never sleeps nor slumbers, we know God is at work. In John 5, Jesus had gone up to Jerusalem and saw the pool called Bethesda. John 5:3-7 says “Here a great number of disabled people used to lie—the blind, the lame, the paralyzed. One who was there had been an invalid for thirty-eight years.  When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, he asked him, Do you want to get well? Jesus healed the man on the Sabbath, which incited the Jews to persecute him for doing such things.  In verse 17, “ In his defense Jesus said to them, My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I too am working.”  Jesus saw the man’s need and he worked on his behalf.
 
Not only are His eyes always open, He never sleeps nor slumbers but He is always at His work daily.  God knew the event would happen on that Monday morning.  The previous week, I had a rare occasion to need to see a random substitute doctor who then, because he had seen me the week before was willing to write a referral for me to see the retina specialist.  This was not just good luck or happenstance but God saw me, was already working on my behalf to meet a need I didn’t know I was going to have the next week. I saw the retina specialist the next day on Tuesday and on Friday had that week laser surgery for the torn retina, which was located at the 6-9 (0’clock) place in the right eye.
 
I never express enough gratitude for my husband. Prior to the surgery, Darrell called the elders from our church seeking to follow James 5:14-16  “Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord.  And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven.  Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.” I appreciated the elders coming to our home to pray for me. Prior to their visit, in my prayer time, the Lord led me to Psalm 37: 23-25 stating “The Lord makes firm the steps of the one who delights in him; though he may stumble, he will not fall, for the Lord upholds him with his hand. I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread.” This was a confessional of my faith as I faced challenging situation. 
The surgery was a success and I thank God for enabling me to see, literally, 2 new grandchildren and the others grow. Working through these eye verses reminds me that God’s eyes are on me. God is good, faithfulness and loves for me. He sees you too! He has not gone to “sleep” on your prayers!  He is working even when we don’t see Him working.  There is peace in trusting God.
If you would like the “eye” verses, I will share.
Blessings
Karen