5 Ways the Eyes of the Lord Look Upon the Righteous

Throughout the Word of God, there are numerous references to His people looking up to the heavens as a symbol of searching and waiting expectantly on the Lord. While the Almighty God does not dwell in a physical location, when we think of Him, we look up – to the mountains (Psalm 121:1), or maybe to the heavens (John 17:1) and into His Word to see what the Lord wants to show us. (Genesis 22:13)

But He is looking too- for you! The Lord desires to show you His power, love, faithfulness, mercy and more and He is always looking for opportunities!

But that’s not all He’s looking for. When the Lord looks down, what is He looking for? What does He see? John 4:23 says that the Father is “seeking those who will worship Him in spirit and in truth”. Just as we seek Him, He is seeking His people as well.

Have you every wondered, “What does God see when He looks at me?” We all wrestle with the idea that God sees how we’ve messed up, or how we failed to follow His will, or how we’ve caused problems, or sinned- but that’s a lie of the enemy! If you are in Christ, then when God looks at you, He sees JESUS.

When God Looks Down, His Eyes Search for You

1 Peter 3:12 says, “For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and His ears are open to their prayers…”

There are specific reasons that the Lord looks down from His place of glory and authority to seek you. Each reason is not only for His glory, but also for your benefit!

“For the eyes of the Lord move to and fro throughout the earth that He may strongly support those whose heart is completely His…” (2. Chron. 16:9)
The eyes of the Lord “see my ways, and count all my steps…” (Job 31:4)
“For My eyes are on all their ways; they are not hidden from My face…” (Jer. 16:7)
“His eyes guide the children of men…” (Psalm 11:4; Psalm 32:8)
“The eye of the Lord is upon them that fear Him and hope in His mercy.” (Psalm 33:18)
“He rules by His power forever. His eyes behold the nations.” (Psalm 66:7)
Your life is “precious in His sight.” (Psalm 72:14) and “Precious in the eyes of the Lord is the death of His saints.” (Psalm 116:15)
“My eyes shall be upon the faithful of the land that they may be with Me.” (Psalm 101:6)
“Your eyes saw my substance, yet unformed…” (Psalm 139:16)
“And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him…” (Hebrews 14:3)

The eyes of the Lord see it all – even the parts of us we don’t want anyone to see.

The lies.
The heart attitudes.
The habits.
The temptations.
The strongholds.
The pain.
The stumblingblocks.
The addictions.
The longing.
The dreams and desires.
The shame.
The hopes.
The fears.

The eyes of the Lord see it all. But even more than that – the Lord is looking! The eyes of the Lord see plenty, but what does He want to see?

5 Ways the Eyes of the Lord Look Upon Those Who Fear Him

1. The Lord looks down to watch over your life

Psalm 33:13-15 says:

“The Lord looks from heaven; He sees all the sons of men.From the place of His habitation He gazes on all the inhabitants of the earth; He fashions their hearts alike; He considers all their works.”

The Lord knows who loves Him, who hates Him, who is a phony or a pretender and who truly serves Him. Jeremiah 16:7, says, “For My eyes are on all their ways; they are not hidden from My face, nor is their iniquity concealed from My eyes.”

He knows the thoughts and the intents of the heart and is the Great King who “all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” (Romans 8:26-30)

Hebrews 4:13 says, “…there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him to whom we must answer.”

Your days are watched over by the Lord before you lived any of them (Psalm 139:16). When you place your life in the Lord’s hand daily, and give Him control of your steps, He will show you the path to life. (Psalm 16:11)

2. The Lord looks down to see those who are seeking Him

Psalm 14:2 and Psalm 52:3 both say:

“The Lord looks down from heaven on the children of men, to see if there are any who understand, who seek God.”

Remember this, God doesn’t need humanity, humanity needs God. God desires you. There is a difference!

The Lord doesn’t need your worship. He doesn’t need your tithes. God doesn’t need anything you have to offer, but your praise is what He desires and when you give that to Him, it is of great value and is precious in His sight because of your willing, freely-offered sacrifice. (Psalm 50:8-15)

Proverbs 20:27 says, “The spirit of man is the candle of the Lord, searching all the inward parts of the heart.”

In fact, the moment the Lord breathes His Spirit of life into the human body at conception, your eternity is set in motion. It is that eternal man within that longs for the Lord and it is why all of humanity regardless of faith, religion, choices, experiences or anything else, desires a spirit connection with… something.

YOU WERE MADE TO PRAISE THE LORD. (Isaiah 43:21)

Those who seek the Lord and submit to the Lordship of Jesus Christ find what they have been longing for. They feel filled a deep, inner place. Those who refuse to acknowledge Jesus are left to wander and end up worshipping idols of their own making – self, money, relationships, ambition, approval, and even sin.

….”praise and worship are intimacy by invitation. God is not drawing you close, and He is not inviting you close in worship – you are inviting Him.
~Alicia Purdy~

The eyes of the Lord are upon you. He sees your life and the things that matter to you. But that applies to everyone, even if they don’t follow the Lord. If you want to go beyond that point – The Lord is seeking faithful people to walk with Him and He is looking for those who will worship Him. Why?

Because praise and worship are intimacy by invitation. God is not drawing you close, and He is not inviting you close in worship- you are inviting Him.

Jesus said in John 4:23-24 that “spirit and truth” worship was the hallmark of “true believers” because “God is Spirit”. Your spirit, connecting to His Spirit, is the primary goal of worship through the ministry of thanksgiving to Him. If you’re truly seeking God- you will find Him because His eyes are on those who seek Him in Spirit and in truth.

3. The Lord looks down to see who He can help

2 Chronicles 16:9 says:

“For the eyes of the Lord move about on all the earth to strengthen the heart that is completely toward Him.”

Worship, prayer and His living, active, powerful Word are all equally important components of knowing Him, dwelling with Him and communing with Him. You need all three.

If your heart is completely turned toward the Lord, you are already a worshipper and He will know where to find you and you will know where to find Him – in His presence!

The Lord desires to show you His faithfulness, mercy, love and grace. Yes, He can find you anywhere you are (Psalm 139:7-12), but when your heart is turned completely toward Him, He doesn’t have search to find you- you found Him! He dwells within your praise. (Psalm 22:3)

David wrote:

“From the end of the earth I will cry to You; when my heart faints, lead me to the rock that is higher than I.For You have been a refuge for me, and a strong tower from the enemy.” (Psalm 61:2-3, MEV)

“I waited patiently for the Lord, and He turned to me, and heard my cry.He also brought me up out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet on a rock, and established my steps.He has put a new song in my mouth, even praise to our God; many will see it, and fear, and will trust in the Lord.” (Psalm 40:1-3, MEV)

“In my distress I called on the Lord, and cried for help to my God; He heard my voice from His temple, and my cry for help came before Him to His ears…He sent from above, He took me; He drew me out of many waters.He delivered me from my strong enemy, and from those who hated me, for they were too strong for me.They confronted me in the day of my calamity, but the Lord was my support. He also brought me forth into a large place; He delivered me because He delighted in me.” (Psalm 18, MEV)

You serve a living, active, loving God who reaches, restores, hears, answers, rescues, protects, guides and so much more! THAT is why you worship!

4. The Lord looks down to see how He can set you free

Psalm 102:19-20 says:

“For He has looked down from the height of His sanctuary; from heaven the Lord looked down on the earth, to hear the groaning of the prisoners and to set free those who are appointed to death.”

Remember, the Lord hears your cry! (Psalm 40:1-3) The Lord has a rescue plan for all those who are enslaved to sin – His Son Jesus Christ! There is no wrath against you because of Jesus! He is with you. He will never leave you. It’s not in His nature.

In Galatians 5:1 Paul wrote, that is was, “For freedom Christ freed us. Stand fast therefore and do not be entangled again with the yoke of bondage.”

This world may throw you into the fire, but He will walk into it with you. (Psalm 34:17-19) What a Friend you have in Jesus! Never let yourself forget that, “…the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer. (1 Peter 3:12)

Stand on His Word- He will do what He said He would do!

5. The Lord looks down to find and destroy His enemies

Psalm 2:4-5 says:

“He who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord ridicules [the kings of the earth]. Then He will speak to them in His wrath and terrify them in His burning anger…”

There is no way the Almighty God, the Lord of Heavens Armies has any real “enemies” because no enemy could match Him in any battle nor do Him any harm. BUT YOU HAVE AN ENEMY.

There is no threat on earth that creates a clear and present danger to the Lord! However, Jesus said those who hate Him hate you. (John 15:18-27) And His “enemies” are those who oppose Him by heaping sin, hatred and all kinds of wickedness upon His people.

Proverbs 15:3 says, “The eyes of the Lord are in every place, keeping watch on the evil and the good.” The Lord SEES. He KNOWS. He WILL NOT FORGET.

The Lord is looking and He will find these people who have set themselves up as “kings of the earth”. One day, they will face Him and they see the true force of His terrible, mighty power. Until then, praise is the safest place for your soul to remain strong.

Thought for Today: Seek the Lord and You Will Find Him

There isn’t anything that God doesn’t know, but He will not force you to do something you just don’t want to do. That is what makes praise and worship so powerful – they are a SACRIFICE of you, in thanksgiving to Him. It is that sacrifice of praise that exposes your willingness to walk with Him, which He is seeking after.

Hebrew 13:15 says, “Through [Jesus], then, let us continually offer to God the sacrifice of praise, which is the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name.”

Learn more about the 7 Hebrew Words for Praise and how each one helps create strength, intimacy, and fresh revelation as you understand more about God’s plan for praise in your life!

Step into the purpose for which you were created- worship. In His presence is everything you need to make it through what this world throws at you. Worship and minister unto Him He is faithful to respond- He promised to do so in His Word and He is willing to prove it to you! In that place of worship, you will find answers to the questions your heart has been asking.

The Lord spoke through Isaiah saying, “Seek the Lord while He may be found, call upon Him while He is near.Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; and let him return to the Lord, and He will have mercy upon him, and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon.” (Isaiah 55:6-7, MEV)

Today, stop and ask the Lord to help you to see what He sees. Ask Him to change how you’re looking at things. Intentionally give the Lord your “sight” and seek Him in His presence in praise and worship.

The Lord is seeking you. He desires the kind of worship your spirit will offer. He has what you need and you have what He desires- you. How do you get to where He is? Psalm 50:23 says, “Whoever sacrifices a thank offering glorifies Me and makes a way; I will show him the salvation of God.”

Worship will get you there. He is seeking YOU.