“Do you know how the clouds hang poised, those wonders of him who has perfect knowledge?”  (Job 37:16)

A friend of mine told me recently that she had contacted a lawn care service because she had concerns about the increased number of weeds in her lawn. The phone representative asked for her email and home address so that additional information could be sent out to her. During the conversation, he said, “I can see that you have a really nice home” as he described her house and its surroundings with detailed accuracy. She stated that at one point she was a bit “creeped out” with the fact that he could see her home so clearly. She discontinued the conversation and told the representative that she would call back later if there was further interest. I informed her that it’s easy to see your house from space using internet software that grabs imagery from thousands of earth observation satellites. While the pictures displayed on the many available tools rely on historically-captured images, we are quickly moving into an era where ‘real time’ viewing from space will be the norm.

I can understand that it is somewhat disconcerting to think that someone has the ability to look down on us. It gives a whole new meaning to the phrase, “Big Brother is Watching.” As technology is developed, just imagine satellites able to check out our neighborhoods for what kind of car we drive, whether packages have been delivered to our front porch, or zoom in with high resolution to see what kind of food we are having for the weekend picnic on our deck. New terminology like ‘cloud storage’ only adds to the wonderment, causing some to question just where our personal information is being stored and who has access to it.  But as a society we like the expediency of being able to access our files from anywhere or have the ability to start watching a movie on one device and finish it on another without missing a scene. In many ways, we appear willing to sacrifice some of our privacy in order to gain optimal performance and immediate discovery to whatever we desire.

The reality is that ‘the cloud’ (as it has come to be known) is far from some mist floating overhead. It’s a very sophisticated network of information storage enabling quick retrieval for our convenience. Just for fun one day, I pulled out my iPhone and asked Siri where she lives. The response: “Wherever you are, that’s where I am.” I thought to myself, “Why, that’s rather scriptural.” God spoke to Jacob in a dream, stating “I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you” (Genesis 28:15). After the death of Moses, the Lord spoke to Joshua: “This is my command–be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the LORD your God is with you wherever you go” (Joshua 1:9). Therefore, it should not surprise us that Jesus affirmed this same message after His death and triumphal resurrection. In what has come to be known as The Great Commission, He reassured those closest to Him stating, “Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20).

Isn’t it inspiring to know that we have a God who loves us so much that He is always watching over us and can reach us from anywhere?  That means that even in the most turbulent times and in the most unpredictable places, He can protect us. He is not trapped somewhere in the cloud. Our God is all-knowing; He is omniscient. The psalmist David understood that God’s omniscience is personal and relational. “You know when I sit down or stand up. You know my thoughts even when I’m far away. You see me when I travel and when I rest at home… Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too great for me to understand” (Psalm 139:2-3, 6). God knows where you are and what you are thinking about this very moment.  He is able to view us in ‘real time.’ That should give us great comfort in an age when we might wonder what the motives for others who are looking down on us might be.

REFLECTION: Have you ever thought about the immediate access we have to God? Why do you think we sometimes become overwhelmed with the volume of information available to us today and somehow forget that God never becomes burdened with His watchful care for each one of us?

A NEW LOOKUP  DEVOTION IS UPLOADED EACH WEEK. THE NEXT WEEKLY POSTING WILL BE ON SAT., APRIL 29, 2017.  COMMENTS ARE WELCOMED