The eyes of the Lord are in every place, Watching the evil and the good [in all their endeavours]. Prov. 15:3 AMP
And not a creature exists that is concealed from His sight, but all things are open and exposed, and revealed to the eyes of Him with whom we have to give account. Heb. 4:13 AMP
Investigations, reports, tribunals, enquiries, and courts all supposedly have the expressed purpose of trying to uncover or expose the truth. Frequently, however, this work is far from straightforward with individuals, groups, and organisations desperate to keep what they have done hidden and concealed.
In the Bible we have countless examples of fear of exposure, from Adam and Eve hiding from God after eating the forbidden fruit, Cain after he had killed his brother Abel, David after his affair with Bathsheba and planning the murder of Uriah her husband, Ananias’ and Sapphira’s deception due to their greed (Acts 5:1-10), the rebuking of the Corinthian church for tolerating immorality (1Cor 5:1-7) and not taking the Lord’s Supper seriously (1Cor. 11: 29-32), the judging of the churches at Ephesus, Pergamum, Thyatira and Laodicea for their sins and waywardness (Rev. 2 – 3). Human history and much of our current news abounds with spin, misdirection and coverups. Honesty, truth, and integrity are the frequent victims.
It is reputed that Sir Arthur Conan Doyle — creator and author of the Sherlock Holmes series and ardent practical joker— sent a telegram to twelve men “…of great virtue and respected in society.” A friend of Doyle’s had often told him that there is a skeleton in the cupboard of every household, no matter how respectable that household may be; and he determined to put this opinion to a practical test. His telegram read “Flee! All has been discovered.” Within 24 hours, the story goes, all twelve had fled the country. It is oft quoted as an example of the shame of a guilty conscience and the exposure of things that ought never to have been done.
Yes, few things pose a greater hazard than being found out. We are afraid of being exposed for who we really are. We are afraid of people seeing the deepest and darkest parts of ourselves and our lives. We fear the truth being brought to light, the responses that may come, and the consequences of such exposure.
Bottom line – our sin (every single one) is never hidden from God! The fact is it is all (absolutely everything) going to come out – either now or later for Almighty God is omniscient: He knows each of us intimately; He chose us and planned for us before earth’s foundations were laid (Eph. 1:4). He knew us in our mother’s womb (Ps. 139:13-16; Jer. 1:5); He calls us each by name (Isa. 43:1); every tear we shed is collected by Him (Ps. 56:8); He knows how many or few hairs are on our head Matt. 10:30); each of our prayers is mixed with incense and goes before His very presence in the throne room of heaven (Rev. 8:3-4). He knows what’s really on our hearts (Prov. 21:2).
God will one day judge the secrets of men (Rom. 2:16). A respected man stood in his home church and said, “I have known for a long time that I have never had a born-again experience, but I have been afraid of what you people would think of me if I admitted that. Tonight, I realised for the first time, that at the judgment seat, not only will you know, but the whole universe will also know I am lost. If you are going to know it then, you may as well know it now, I am a lost soul and I need to be saved!” That man broke down and wept his way into the kingdom. It finally dawned on him that every dark thing will be brought to the light.
Our fear of exposure is baseless since “all things are open and exposed, and revealed to the eyes of Him with whom we have to give account.” (Heb. 4:13). Our primary concern is what God knows about us. Roy Hession wrote, “Revival is when the best people in the church start acting like sinners and confessing their sins.”
Henry Blackaby writes, “Revival is like judgement day. When God comes into the midst of His people as a refiner’s fire, and the process of revival may be very painful to individuals and churches. Usually when we are praying for revival, what we really want are the fruits of revival – the joy, the closeness to God, conversion of sinners, and so forth. But before we can experience the fruits of revival, we must be ‘baptised with fire’”
When a person owns up and admits their sins, they are on the pathway to recovery. By taking responsibility for their wrongdoings, the humble person attracts grace and mercy from their Heavenly Father. “You can’t whitewash your sins and get by with it; you find mercy by admitting and leaving them” (Pro. 28:13 AMP). Mercy and forgiveness are promised to all who plunge their sins in the fountain filled with blood.
Reflect on and pray through Isaiah 43:1-7.
Ponder what Israel had repeatedly done and continually tired to hide from God. Consider His response in these verses and personalise them for revival.
But now, God’s Message,
the God who made you in the first place, Jacob,
the One who got you started, Israel:
“Don’t be afraid, I’ve redeemed you.
I’ve called your name. You’re mine.
When you’re in over your head, I’ll be there with you.
When you’re in rough waters, you will not go down.
When you’re between a rock and a hard place,
it won’t be a dead end—
Because I am God, your personal God,
The Holy of Israel, your Saviour.
I paid a huge price for you:
all of Egypt, with rich Cush and Seba thrown in!
That’s how much you mean to me!
That’s how much I love you!
I’d sell off the whole world to get you back,
trade the creation just for you.
“So don’t be afraid: I’m with you.
I’ll round up all your scattered children,
pull them in from east and west.
I’ll send orders north and south:
‘Send them back.
Return my sons from distant lands,
my daughters from faraway places.
I want them back, every last one who bears my name,
every man, woman, and child
Whom I created for my glory,
yes, personally formed and made each one.’”
Amen.