One of my favorite things is to be safely settled into a tree stand before first light, and quietly experience the awakening of the woods.  There’s nothing else quite like it.

After settling into the blind, it’s usually the nocturnal animals you will hear first … the raccoons and opossums making their way to their bedding area for the day.  Next, the birds greet the morning with their various chirps, squawks and calls.  Then the squirrels begin making their appearances, climbing nimbly through the trees, scooting quickly along fallen trees (which tend to serve as their lower-level highways), or rustling noisily in the leaves on the ground.

And if one is deer hunting and is fortunate, the soft sounds of a deer or two browsing nearby might catch your ear as the morning sky slowly brightens.

Recently as I enjoyed the arrival of another day in one of my tree stands, I marveled at how much I was able to observe while being largely unobserved.  The view from above provides much greater visibility of the animals while providing much greater invisibility for the viewer.  Instead of trying to see through the tangles of brush on ground level, one enjoys a much better vantage point when higher up.

Since I deliberately build my blinds in areas that provide wide-ranging views – with a bit of special “forest management” on my part (clearing brush, trimming branches, etc.) – I typically can look over almost 360 degrees of the woods immediately around me.  So I see a lot of wildlife.

But I know that I don’t see it all.  On a recent hunting trip, on two different occasions I had deer approach quite close before I spotted them.  (One of the drawbacks of having to watch 360 degrees!)  I imagine some have ghosted by without me even noticing.  I know some deer have moved past … in the brush within hearing but just out of sight … because that’s what deer do.

And while I see a lot of the wildlife around me, I certainly don’t see it all.  Not only do I miss some larger animals, but I miss nearly all of the smaller ones.  The chipmunks, mice, and snakes go largely unnoticed.  They usually maneuver below the ground canopy.  I certainly don’t see the many insects going about their business under tree bark, inside dead logs, or on the ground.  I don’t see ANY of the critters below the ground, yet there are many present there.

So while I certainly do see a lot, there’s a lot that I don’t see as well.  It turns out my view is actually rather limited, even when up in a tree with cleared area all around.

But here’s what I find astounding: The Lord does see it all!

Every creature around every one of my blinds … large, small, and miniscule.  In the air, in the trees, in the brush, on the ground, and in the ground.  Brightly colored or brilliantly camouflaged. Moving or still; sleeping or eating; seen by me or not seen by me – they’re ALL seen by God!

And not just in the little woods I hunt in.  But every creature everywhere!

Nothing escapes his notice; nothing sneaks past the all-seeing God.  While he’s unobserved, he observes all.  “Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight.  Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him …” (Hebrews 4:13).

This is tremendously comforting to those of us who know Him, and who recognize that He loves us.

Consider how immense, supreme, unfathomable, awesome – (I struggle to find a sufficient adjective!) – our God is!  He sees all, knows all, and understands all.  (How can he possibly do that?  We can’t even keep track of the immediate circumstances in our personal lives!)  But God does.  And not just the circumstances in our own lives, but the circumstances in the entire world! 

Furthermore, the Lord guides and controls everything in his almighty power and according to his loving will.  There are no secrets kept from the Lord, and no surprises to him.  What happens is allowed by God to happen, and what he allows to happen is always motivated by his all-encompassing love. 

We may not understand (or like!) God’s plans all the time.  But then our view is limited; we don’t see the whole picture like God does.  Scripture assures us, “We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28).

Our God also sees the evil intentions of those who might wish us harm.  “The eyes of the Lord are everywhere, keeping watch on the wicked and the good” (Proverbs 15:3).  Our enemies … whether personal, spiritual, societal, occupational or even international … can do nothing to us that the Lord doesn’t allow.  And if the Lord allows it, he has a loving purpose and is bringing blessings through it.

One other sobering application of this truth that God sees all … is that God sees all of our sins as well.  We humans might be able to hide things from other humans, but we can never hide them from God.  Perhaps that elicits shame, sorrow and fear from us.  And rightfully so.  God has given us very clear instructions on what is right and what is wrong in his eyes.

But here’s the great news: because the Lord sees our every mistake, that means that there are no mistakes missed through Jesus’ atoning sacrifice and death on the cross. “Jesus Christ, the Righteous One … is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world” (1 John 2:2).

Because of Jesus, our every sin seen by God is no longer seen by God because Jesus removed them from our record.  “This is what the Lord says—your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: “I, even I, am he who blots out your transgressions, for my own sake, and remembers your sins no more” (Isaiah 43:14&25).

How comforting it is to know that our good and gracious God sees everything in our lives and in our world, and is actively involved in providing for and protecting us in his immense love for us.  How comforting to know that as He sits on his throne in heaven, it’s a seat with the ultimate view!

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Psalm 139:1-10
¹ You have searched me, Lord, and you know me. ² You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. ³ You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. ⁴ Before a word is on my tongue you, Lord, know it completely.

⁵ You hem me in behind and before, and you lay your hand upon me. ⁶ Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain.

⁷ Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? ⁸ If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. ⁹ If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, ¹⁰ even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.

Romans 8:35, 37-39
³⁵ Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? … ³⁷ No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 

³⁸ For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, ³⁹ neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.