What does the Bible say about God watching over us?
How aware are you of God’s abiding presence as you go through your day? Do you think about how God sees everything? How does that impact your actions? Are you confident that God hears your prayers and will guide and fight for you? Do you ever consider the depth and breadth of God’s great love for you? This article will unpack everything you need to know about how God watches over us and how that should influence our relationship with Him and others.
Christian quotes about God watching
“God never sleeps, for He is always watching over His children.”
“God sees everything even when no one else does.”
“When you feel alone, remember that God is always with you, watching over you with love and protection.”
“In the darkest moments, remember that God is watching and working behind the scenes.”
God sees everything
Do you sometimes feel that no one notices all the things you do? Take heart! God sees it all! He sees what you do and even knows what you think and what you will do in the future. Despite there being 8 billion people on the planet, God keeps track of us all! God is omniscient, meaning He is everywhere at once. He knows what we do, and He knows our hearts. He promises to show Himself strong for those whose hearts are entirely devoted to Him!
“For His eyes are upon the ways of a person, and He sees all his steps.” (Job 34:21)
“For the ways of everyone are before the eyes of the LORD, and He observes all his paths.” (Proverbs 5:21)
“For He looks to the ends of the earth; He sees everything under the heavens.” (Job 28:24)
“For the eyes of the LORD roam throughout the earth, so that He may strongly support those whose heart is completely His.” (2 Chronicles 16:9)
“The eyes of the Lord are in every place, keeping watch on the evil and the good.” (Proverbs 15:3 ESV)
“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.” (Psalm 139:2-3)
God hears your prayers.
Sometimes, when we pray, it seems like God is silent. Is He really listening? Does He care? Yes and yes!!
- “You who hear prayer, to You all mankind comes.” (Psalm 65:2)
- “He has regarded the prayer of the destitute And has not despised their prayer.” (Psalm 102:17)
Some folks think that if God doesn’t answer our prayer immediately, He didn’t hear us. Others say it means that His answer is “no.” But neither is true. In Daniel 10, we read that the prophet Daniel prayed and fasted for three whole weeks. Then, a mighty angel appeared to Daniel and told him that God heard his prayers on the first day Daniel prayed. However, Persia’s “prince” (a super-demon) delayed the angel. Finally, the angel Michael (one of the chief princes) came to help him, allowing the angel to bring the message to Daniel.
Always remember that there are spiritual forces (good and bad) at work of which we aren’t necessarily aware.
- “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.” (Ephesians 6:12)
Delayed answers to prayer may also be a matter of God’s perfect timing. However, God may not say “yes” to a prayer that is not according to His will.
- “And this is the confidence that we have before Him: If we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we already possess what we have asked of Him.” (1 John 5:14-15)
How do we know that we’re praying according to His will? That starts by praying for what He tells us to pray for, like the things in the “Lord’s Prayer” that Jesus gave us (Luke 11:2-4). We should pray for the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding (Colossians 1:9). We should pray that unbelievers would be saved (Romans 10:1). We should pray for more workers to reach the unreached (Matthew 9:38). We should pray to be fruitful and grow in the knowledge of God (Colossians 1:10). We should pray when we’re suffering (James 5:13). God commands the elders of the church to pray for the sick and for us to pray for one another for healing (James 5:14-16).
Jesus commands us to keep on praying persistently if the prayer isn’t answered the first time we pray for something. He uses the example of the man who kept knocking on his neighbor’s door and the widow who kept pestering the unjust judge (Luke 11:5-10; 18:1-8).
- “Will not God bring about justice for His elect who cry out to Him day and night? Will He continue to defer their help? I tell you, He will promptly carry out justice on their behalf. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on earth?” (Luke 18:7-8)
God will guide you
If we want God to guide us, we must be careful not just to do the first thing that comes to mind. We might think we know the right decision, but God may have a better plan. We need to acknowledge God in every area of our lives and seek His will, and He will show us the best path.
“I will instruct you and teach you in the way which you should go; I will advise you with My eye upon you.” (Psalm 32:8)
“Trust in the LORD with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.” (Proverbs 3:5-6)
“Commit your work to the LORD, and your plans will be established.” (Proverbs 16:3)
“The Lord will guide you continually, giving you water when you are dry and restoring your strength. You will be like a well-watered garden, like an ever-flowing spring.” (Isaiah 58:11 NLT)
“The steps of a man are established by the Lord, when he delights in his way.” (Psalm 37:23 ESV)
God fights for you
God doesn’t just guide us; He fights our battles for us! We don’t have to worry or get depressed about bad news or a seemingly impossible situation. Nothing is too hopeless for God!
In the days of King Jehoshaphat, a vast coalition army of three tribes marched against Israel. The king was alarmed and began fasting and praying, and all the people gathered with him to pray. Jehoshaphat prayed, “Power and might are in Your hand, and no one can stand against You. . . We will cry out to You in our distress, and You will hear us and save us.”
Then God spoke to the king and the Israelites through the prophet Jahaziel: “Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army, for the battle does not belong to you, but to God. . . You need not fight this battle. Take up your positions, stand firm, and see the salvation of the LORD on your behalf, O Judah and Jerusalem.”
The next morning, the Israelites marched out to face the Ammonites and Moabites, led by a choir singing praises to the Lord. They came upon an astonishing sight. All of their enemies lay dead on the ground! God had fought their battle for them! (2 Chronicles 20).
“Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God” (Psalm 20:7).
“The eternal God is your dwelling place, and underneath are the everlasting arms. He drives out the enemy before you, giving the command, ‘Destroy him!’” (Deuteronomy 33:27)
“The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still.” (Exodus 14:14)
“The LORD is a warrior; The LORD is His name.” (Exodus 15:3 NASB)
God loves you
God watches over us because He loves us. He knows us more intimately than any person. He knows our thoughts, our motivations, our ambitions. And He loves us unconditionally, even when we mess up. It’s hard to understand the limitlessness of God’s love, but it begins with Christ living in our hearts.
“I ask that out of the riches of His glory He may strengthen you with power through His Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. Then you, being rooted and grounded in love, will have power, together with all the saints, to comprehend the length and width and height and depth of the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.” (Ephesians 3:16-19)
“The LORD your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing.” (Zephaniah 3:17)
“Let your unfailing love surround us, LORD, for our hope is in you alone.” (Psalms 33:22 NLT)
God will be with you forever.
God has given us His Holy Spirit to be with us forever.
“And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Advocate to be with you forever: the Spirit of truth. . . I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.. . On that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you are in Me, and I am in you.” (John 14:16-20)
“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey all that I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:18-20)
Be careful. God is watching you.
God sees everything, and even though He loves us beyond anything we can understand, we do have to answer to Him for our actions and thoughts. God’s Word pierces our soul and spirit, judging our heart’s thoughts and intentions.
The good news is that Jesus is our great high priest. He passed through the same struggles with sin that we have, yet without sin. He can sympathize with our weaknesses. We can confidently approach the throne of grace so we can receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
“And 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.” (Hebrews 4:13)
“Even before a word is on my tongue, You know all about it, O LORD.” (Psalm 139:4)
Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. (Galatians 6:7 KJV)
Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell. (Matthew 10:28 NIV)
Taking advantage of God’s grace
And yet, we must not take advantage of this amazing grace. We can’t just continue to willfully sin and exploit God’s grace.
“What then shall we say? Shall we continue in sin so that grace may increase? Certainly not! How can we who died to sin live in it any longer? . . . We were therefore buried with Him through baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may walk in newness of life. . . We know that our old self was crucified with Him so that the body of sin might be rendered powerless, that we should no longer be slaves to sin. For anyone who has died has been freed from sin. . . So you too must count yourselves dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus. .Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its desires. . . For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace.” (Romans 6:1-14)
Conclusion
How should knowing God is watching over us influence our relationship with Him and others? If we can grasp the mind-blowing fact that God is right there with us, watching over us and guiding us, it’s life-changing. So often, we think of God as being far away and too busy with other things to pay much attention to us. But He’s right here! He’s in that room with you now, loving you and longing for you to know Him more deeply and fully. He wants to guide you along the right paths for your life.
Picture Jesus standing next to you as you interact with your family, co-workers, and other people. How does that change the dynamic of your relationships? Are you more patient, less irritable, and less demanding? Are you less likely to let sin have the upper hand? You may not be able to see Him, but He is right there with you. May that truth sink in!
