Back in the dinosaur days of the 1990’s there was a popular song “From a Distance” that grated on me every time I heard it (on my steam-driven radio) because the lyrics implied that God was far away and was not really interested in the minutiae of our lives — “God is watching us, from a distance”. But that clearly is not congruent with what I read in Scripture.
Proverbs 5:21 emphatically states, “For the LORD sees clearly what a man does, examining every path he takes.” I think these words contain both comfort and reveal a mystery.
Comfort, because they assure us that God is not distant or disconnected from the details of our lives. And mystery, because they remind us that God’s involvement does not always work out the way we might expect. Sometimes, we come to a place where we cannot explain why things turned out as they did—yet we discover that we are still right in the center of His will.
This truth confronts a common misconception. Many people, even believers, are tempted to think that God works mainly on a “big picture” level—concerned about nations, wars, the direction of history, and perhaps the church as a whole—but not so much about the small twists and turns of individual lives. Skeptics might even dismiss the idea that God is involved in our personal affairs at all, attributing life’s “surprises” to mere chance or random circumstance.
But Scripture does not allow us to entertain the idea of a distant, uninvolved deity. “For he looks throughout the whole earth and sees everything under the heavens” (Job 28:24 NLT). God’s knowledge is comprehensive. Nothing escapes His notice. He is not an indifferent observer. Psalm 139 reminds us of His deep intimacy with our daily lives: “You see me when I travel and when I rest at home. You know everything I do” (Psalm 139:3 NLT). We are not hidden. We are fully known, fully seen, and fully loved.
If God sees so clearly, why does His will sometimes feel so perplexing? Why do we encounter unexpected detours, difficult assignments, and seasons of loss or disappointment—even while walking faithfully with Him? The answer is not that we have strayed from His will, but that His will is often deeper and more surprising than our own plans.
The Bible is full of such stories. Joseph was betrayed by his brothers, sold into slavery, falsely accused, and imprisoned. None of those experiences felt like God’s blessing in the moment, yet God was at work shaping Joseph into the man who would save an entire nation from famine. (Genesis 50:20)
Ruth, a Moabite widow, found herself in a foreign land gleaning grain just to survive—only to become part of the lineage of King David, and ultimately, the Messiah. (Matthew 1:5)
The disciples, too, were often stunned by Jesus’ choices, from the cross itself to the Great Commission. God delights in working in ways that stretch our understanding and deepen our trust. (Acts 1:8)
Paul gives us language for this mystery in 1 Corinthians 13:11–12: “When I was a child, I spoke and thought and reasoned as a child. But when I grew up, I put away childish things. Now we see things imperfectly, like puzzling reflections in a mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely.”
In this life, we will only ever see part of the picture. Our vision is clouded by time, pain, and perspective. But God sees the entire canvas, beginning to end, and He is painting something beautiful—even if right now it feels unfinished or confusing.
What this means for us is profoundly personal. We are not left to stumble through life alone. We are not victims of chance. Even when we cannot see the pattern, God is weaving something purposeful through our circumstances. (Romans 8:28)
His sovereignty does not mean we will always understand His timing or His methods—far from it. In fact, the mystery of His will often calls for greater faith. (Isaiah 55:9)
Yet that faith is not blind optimism. It is grounded in the truth that God’s knowledge is perfect, His character is faithful, and His purposes are good. Jesus reminded His followers, “And the very hairs on your head are all numbered” (Matthew 10:30 NLT). This is not just an interesting fact—it is a declaration that nothing about you escapes His attention. If He knows something as small as the number of hairs on your head, surely He knows about your grief, your setbacks, your hopes, and your prayers.
Therefore, we can take comfort—even when life surprises us, even when His will feels like a mystery. The God who sees every path is the same God who walks with us on it. And when we finally look back with perfect clarity, we will see that even the detours were part of His perfect plan. (1 John 3:2)
Blessings on you and yours, Jim Black