The Father Who Sees in Secret ~reflex on Matt. 6:1-18
Does the truth that God sees all, even what we do in secret, make your heart sing with joy or fill you with a bit of anxiety? We need to check ourselves once in a while, because this can reveal a lot about our relationship with the Lord, with others, and with ourselves. In many ways, our character is revealed by what we do when we think no one can see us; it is also revealed by what we do when we think people are watching!
Is our generosity deep and true? We might drop a dollar into the collection basket on Sunday if we think no one is really paying attention. But if we knew that someone else (the pastor, or some person whose opinion we value) will know how much we gave, would we feel impelled to give more?
What do we do when we are eating lunch alone? Do we take the time to pray properly first? Or do we only do that when we are with our grandmother or a friend who prompts us?
How do we bear the crosses of our life? Do we receive them as a gift from the Lord, sent to form us and make us more like Him? Or do we post our pain – real or imagined or exaggerated - all over social media so that others will give us attention and sympathy to prop up our self-worth?
We can do even good things for the wrong reasons, and Jesus tells us that sometimes we give only in order to receive; in that case, we’ve made ourselves the recipient of our own gift, which is no gift at all! How can the Father reward us for the good we do, if we have already been repaid, or we have already manipulated the situation in order to receive praise or sympathy or affirmation from others?! Jesus tells us that we must do good things (and he refers to the three pillars of prayer, fasting, and giving!), but for the right reasons: to serve others and glorify God, not to serve and glorify ourselves.
In a world that values largeness and loudness and success, it is hard to remember that what God values is not determined by size or outcome, but by the love with which it is offered to Him; in fact, the most hidden offerings can be the most precious to Him because they are given only to Him and seen only by Him. In a world that values self-determination, self-promotion, self-reliance, and getting just the right picture to post online so others see us in a certain way, Jesus’ words about remaining hidden to everyone but God might seem strange. But the only way to be lifted up in grace is to bow down low in gratitude before the Father Who loves us, Who sees all. Even the things that others miss.
What secret gift can we offer to the Lord’s Heart in love today?