The All-Seeing Eye

When I first started going to the jail, the sights and sounds and smells were unfamiliar and intimidating. The stark halls, the masses of concrete and metal, the slamming doors. It became familiar and less intimidating, but for the longest time there was one thing that was just so frustrating. The wait. You would approach a door, push a button and wait. Get to the next door, maybe only four feet ahead of you, push a button and . . . waaaiiiitttt. 

I remember waiting at one door in a tiny little vestibule, for what seemed an interminably long time. In the early days, I was still in my "efficient," "productive" mode—you know what they say, "time is money." So, this waiting was for the birds! Absolutely nothing was going on in the halls in front of or behind me—to the right or to the left. Why in the world couldn’t someone simply push the button that made this door open?! I became more accustomed to it and I think that I also began to just be a little more laid back in general but, still, I would find myself wondering, “What is the hold up here?” I could see no reason for the wait.

In the weeks and months that passed, I came and went from the jail and one thing I observed was that behind the front desk there was a room. This room had darkened windows where shadowy figures moved silently about and the faint glow from so many screens found its way past the heavy tint. Over time, it registered that these screens monitored every part of the jail, all the hallways, all the activity. It was like the "all-seeing eye." The power to open and shut all the doors resided in that room. 

The other thing I observed over the weeks and months was that, at times, long lines of inmates—many in shackles and chains—would make their way from the jail to the courtroom. At times, the sound of pounding feet and the sight of guards running down the hallway would be the only indication of some skirmish or uproar somewhere in the bowels of the jail. At times, a gurney and medical staff—attending to one of the inmates suffering from sickness . . . injury . . . overdose . . . suicide attempt—would rush past the door and round the corner. 

Over the weeks and months, glimpses of these incidences birthed an awareness and an understanding of just why there were periods of . . . waaaiiiitttt. And from this awareness and understanding came an epiphany, of sorts. Isn’t that just like our walk with God? We are ready—or at least we think we are. We see no reason to wait. Why won’t the doors of opportunity open already?! But then, God is the ultimate "all-seeing eye." He knows what obstacles lie ahead, what danger lurks around the corner, what needs to be prepared before we move ahead. He sees the past, the present, and the future . . . and his timing is perfect. 

I now wait for the doors in the jail with a lot more patience. I pray that I will grow in my patience as I wait upon the Lord, as well. I now trust that the guards know what they are doing and when it is safe for me to advance to the next door. How much more should I put my trust in the God of the universe?! After all, scripture promises that those who wait upon the Lord will soar on wings like eagles.  I long to soar! So . . . I will wait. Imperfectly and impatiently at times, but I will wait.

“The eyes of the Lord are everywhere,

keeping watch on the wicked and the good.”

Proverbs 15:3 NIV

“Tell us, you idols, what is going to happen.

Tell us what the former things were, so that we

may consider them and know their final outcome.

Or declare to us the things to come, tell us what

the future holds, so we may know that you are gods.

Do something, whether good or bad, so that we will

be dismayed and filled with fear. But you are less than

nothing and your works are utterly worthless;

whoever chooses you is detestable.”

Isaiah 41:22-24 NIV

“…Grace and peace to you from him who is,

and who was, and who is to come,…”

Revelation 1:4 NIV