Eyes That See

Learning to Recognize God’s Presence in Every Moment

Scot McKnight tells a story of a time he entered a shop that sold bird feed. Previously he had been convinced to buy a feeder because the town was known for its hummingbirds.

When he entered the store the shopkeeper asked how the bird watching was going. Dejectedly, McKnight told him that they got rid of the feeder because weeks had passed and they hadn’t seen a single hummingbird, even though the feeder kept getting emptied… “probably by squirrels,” they thought.

The store owner asked where he lived, and Scot told him. Then the store owner grabbed some more bird feed and said,

“They are there. Not only do some of your neighbors have hummers on their feeders, but hummers are all over the village. You just have to have eyes to see them. Once you do, you will see them everywhere. They are small and fast and camouflaged, but they are not that hard to spot.”

After this, Scot and his wife learned to look. They got better at recognizing the swift and almost imperceptible darting as the presence of hummingbirds. They were, indeed, everywhere. They just needed eyes to see them.

This story reflects the challenge we face in recognizing God’s presence in our lives. Like the McKnights, many Christians live surrounded by signs of God’s presence but fail to perceive him at work. Instead, they may attribute the effects of God’s presence to mere coincidence or other causes.

In that case, we need a wise shopkeeper to remind us, “God is there… You just have to have eyes to see him. Once you do, you will see him everywhere.”

Psalm 105 is one of those shopkeepers.

It reflects on Israel’s history, revealing God’s presence throughout. In doing so, it teaches us see look for God in all things, whether good or bad.

For instance, we are all familiar with the story of Joseph and his colorful coat. Reading the story in Genesis would lead one to think it is a story of arrogance, jealousy, and abandonment, betrayal, and finally deliverance. And this is a proper reading of it, but Psalm 105 sees it differently.

There the story begins at the end. Since God would be sending a famine into the land, “he had sent a man ahead of them, Joseph, who was sold as a slave” (Psalm 105:16).

In other words, the Jospeh story takes place because God needed a man in Egypt to bring relief to people of all nations in a difficult time. So Joseph’s arrogance, his brothers jealously, the repetitive betrayals, though not necessary for God’s plan, were providentially included in it.

Dear reader, you might be going through challenging times where God’s presence seems hidden. Like Joseph, you may feel betrayed, ashamed, or abandoned, and unable to see God’s hand in your present circumstances; those circumstances are like squirrels obscuring the presence of hummingbirds.

Perhaps all of this is true, but pay attention to the imperceptible movements happening in your life. Learn to ask God, “Where are you in all of this?” And as you do so, pray for eyes to see God in the midst of your circumstances.

Perhaps your eyes will be opened in the moment, as was the case with Elisha’s servant who saw that “the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around” (2 Kings 6:17), or maybe God will grant you to see in hindsight as was the case in Joseph’s story. Either way, the discipline of prayerful and faithful looking will shape you into the kind of person that knows God is there, whether visible or invisible.

One day, when we no longer need to see by faith, we will look back at our lives and, like Psalm 105, see God at work in everything. But today, we are invited to do so by faith. So, let us look intentionally and endeavor to see how God is at work in everything that happens to us, and as we see, let us give thanks.

Blessings to you, dear reader, as you seek to recognize God’s presence in every moment.

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