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For the eyes of the LORD move to and fro throughout the earth that He may strongly support those whose heart is completely His. (2Chron. 16:9a NAS)
It's not the wealthy, the famous or the intelligent that God is looking for. It's not our abilities or our backgrounds that are so important to Him. He's not impressed with our status, race or family history. God is looking for hearts that are completely His. When He finds such a heart, He will work extraordinarily on behalf of that person.
Occasionally I'm asked who my heroes are. Most people probably wouldn't recognize them. You've probably never heard of many of them. But they're humble, godly people who are well known to the Father. One such person is a young photographer from Brazil. He doesn't come from a wealthy family or have a string of university degrees. He's a simple man from a humble background. But he loves God with all of his heart. Many years ago, a man took him under his wing and taught him how to take pictures.
My young friend, Selio (pronounced sell-you), now travels the world taking pictures for Christ. I first met him while preaching in Brazil. He would come and take pictures of our meetings. He will only take photos of Christian events and ministries. He goes to different countries taking pictures of mission work. He trusts God and goes.
I've been amazed to watch God provide for this young man. He once said that he would like to go to China and take pictures of my ministry there. I told him he was welcome to come, but asked how he would get there. He said, "Don't worry. God will provide."
I then asked him, "But how will you find me? There are a billion people in China."
"Oh, don't worry. You just tell me what day you will arrive in Beijing, and I'll find you."
I told Selio, "Okay, but we're only going to be there for a couple of days." I had no idea how Selio would meet up with us. He was traveling throughout Asia taking photos of mission work, and he would try to come to Beijing on the day we arrived there. But Beijing is a city teeming with millions of people. It looked impossible to me.
But as I was sitting on the plane in Hong Kong waiting for the final few passengers to board it for Beijing, I looked up and saw Selio getting on the plane. I think he was the last passenger. He was walking down the aisle looking for his seat assignment. And guess which seat he was assigned to. The one next to me!
He was shocked when he saw me sitting there. He began to praise the Lord. "I told you I would find you, Brother Sammy," he exclaimed.
I just laughed and pondered how good God has been to Selio. His life is filled with God's mighty works. The wonderful thing is that God cares about all of us as much as He cares about Selio. But there's something special about a person who has surrendered himself fully to God. The Bible says that "the eyes of the LORD move to and fro throughout the earth that He may strongly support those whose heart is completely His."
The eyes of the Lord is a phrase that's often used in the Bible to refer to the Holy Spirit. This title for God reveals much to us about the character of God and how He works within us. The eyes of the Lord are able to search deeply into our lives. They are able to look into the depths of the heart of man. But the eyes of the Lord are also able to search accurately. God knows everything about us. He's able to see into the darkest corners of our hearts. He knows our motives and our thoughts.
And it doesn't matter where our geographic location is. He's there, because He's everywhere. He goes to and fro throughout the whole earth. He's in Romania, China, America, Brazil, and Africa. He's everywhere, and He's looking deeply into hearts. He's not concerned with the financial holdings or pedigree of the hearts He's searching. He's looking for a heart completely surrendered to Him. When He finds such a heart, He will act swiftly and powerfully on behalf of that person. By the way, the eyes of the Lord are looking into your heart right now. What's He finding?
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