What God Has Said—About God

God sees your heart. God is not so much interested in outer appearance as we are. The whole “dress for success” movement that was popular some years ago was based on the very realistic concept that first impressions are critical, and one major way potential employers judge you is on your appearance. Janeen was once hired for a job when the boss went outside and looked at and in her car, because he believed that a person with a neat and clean car would be a diligent and faithful employee. Fortunately our car was nice and clean that day, inside and out!
God looks inside the car and under the hood. God looks to the heart. God sees what’s going on inside. He looks to the inner thoughts and feelings and motivations. How many times do you read in the NT about people around Jesus who were whispering among themselves, or even thinking in their hearts … and Jesus knew exactly what was going on in their “secret” deliberations? Once Jesus said to the Pharisees, in Matthew chapter 23:
"Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. 26 Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean.” (Matthew 23:25) "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men's bones and everything unclean. 28 In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.” (Matthew 23:27)
Jesus could see clearly how proud and vain and hypocritical they were, pious on the outside but completely empty on the inside. As God said it of His chosen people, in Isaiah chapter 29 …
“These people come near to Me with their mouth, and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me.” (Isaiah 29:13)
The people were following the rules and rituals on the outside, but inside there was nothing. And God saw that, because He looks at the heart.
Now that can be an intimidating, even frightening, thought. God knows what you are thinking! God knows the truth that no one else can see. The prejudices, grudges, ill-will, even hatred we harbor towards someone, God knows it. The hypocrisies we tend towards, pretending to be something we are not, and projecting an image that we want people to believe about us that we don’t even really believe ourselves, God sees those. We too can put on a pious front for others to see, and say all the right words in church, all the while harboring deep doubts and suspicions and disbeliefs in our hearts. God knows all that.
The inner pride that says, “I deserve more.” The inner bitterness that says, “They owe me for what they did to me.” The ambition that says, “I must establish my importance.” The fear that says, “I might be rejected, so I’d better be careful here.” The bias or prejudice that says, “I don’t like certain people.” The greed and selfishness that says, “I should have bigger, better, more.” God sees and knows it all! And that’s intimidating to contemplate. You can’t hide from God. It’s all out there for Him.
But it also can be a very comforting thought. Yes, God sees the sins and hypocrisies, but He also sees the hurts and heartaches. We can put on a happy face and fool the people around us into thinking that we’re fine and dandy, when inside our heart aches with loneliness or fear or despair. God sees that hurt. There’s an old song I always liked, In which Jesus says …
“I felt every teardrop,
when in darkness you cried,
And I strove to remind you,
that for those tears I died.”
Jesus sees the hurts and heartaches no one else knows or cares about, and He feels the teardrop that no one else sees. The sorrow and the anxiety. The mourning and the loneliness. The despair and the confusion. The shame and the regret. He knows, He cares, He understands. The NT book of Hebrews says it so well …
“For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are – yet was without sin. 16 Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” (Hebrews 4:15)
Or as Peter said it much more simply …“Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.” (1Peter 4:7) He can sympathize because He’s been there. He cares. He is able to provide mercy and grace no matter what’s going on in there.
Surely the first and foremost aspect of that is His concern for us in the eternal sense, seeing us writhe under the burden of our sin and guilt, and caring enough to come to this earth to die on the cross, and pay the penalty we deserve. First and foremost, we must turn to Him in confession and repentance, trusting in His mercy and grace to save us and restore us to the Father. Hopefully, you have done that, at some time. If not, take a moment to pray right now and trust yourself to His grace. That’s the one that matters most.
But whatever other burden or fear or heartache you may carry this day, He understands. Cast it on Him. He cares for you.