God Is Watching

So Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: “For I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.”—Genesis 32:30

I am reading Charles Colson’s book, Being the Body, an updated and expanded edition of his original work, The Body. He titles Chapter 12, “Coram Deo.” Coram Deo literally means in the presence of God. It is a Latin phrase indicating Christians and the Church should live their lives for an audience of one, The One.

If we believe God is all-powerful (omnipotent), all-seeing, and all-knowing (omniscient), then Christians should live their lives as if God is watching. Living in God’s presence means we live under God’s authority and to God’s honor and glory. “God is watching” does not mean God functions as a cosmic policeman trying to catch us in every miscue like speeding or running a stop sign. God is our heavenly Father who loves us and cares about every aspect of our lives.

In Genesis 32, Jacob returns home to face his long estranged older twin brother, Esau. Jacob had bargained Esau out of his birthright for a bowl of soup (Genesis 25) and then stole Esau’s blessing from their dying father, Isaac (Genesis 27). Jacob, under the direction of his mother, flees to her brother, Laban’s house. There he meets and marries Laban’s two daughters, Leah and Rachel[RB1] . After working for 14 years for Laban and increasing his personal possessions, Jacob runs away from Laban back to face Esau.

To this point in Jacob’s life, Jacob lived up to the meaning of his name, heel grabber or supplanter. The idea of a supplanter is one who gets ahead by tripping up or overthrowing someone else. He succeeds at the expense of another. Jacob had always looked out for number one, himself not God. Jacob got ahead at home at Esau’s expense. He then improved his lot in life at Laban’s expense. Jacob lived life, like many of us today, for himself.

Up until his Peniel experience where he wrestled with the Angel of the Lord before facing Esau, Jacob lived in the presence of himself and his welfare. After wrestling with God, his name was changed to Israel, meaning one who struggles with God and with men and prevails (Genesis 32:28). From this time onward, Jacob (Israel) becomes a different person. Israel now begins to “coram deo,” live in and under the authority of God’s presence.

What about you? As many around us, even professing Christians, seem to live for themselves, are you living your life in God’s presence? If we seek to please and benefit ourselves only, we often sink lower and lower into failure and unhappiness. We might be climbing the ladder to success and even have more toys than many others, but we live defeated and frustrated lives.

Hebrews 12:2 tells us to turn our eyes upon Jesus, “the author and finisher of our faith.” God is watching. God is looking upon your life with love and pity. God so loved the world, you, me, and every other person, that He gave His only begotten Son that we might live life to its fullest. We experience this full, joy-filled life when we live our lives as if God is watching. Coram deo: live your life in the presence of God today.

Randy Bain is the Senior Pastor of Oakland UM Church at 1504 Bedford Street, Johnstown, PA €15902. You may reach him through the church website www.oaklandonline.org.

---

 [RB1]