December 11 - He Knows Your Heart

God knows everything, even the hidden part of our heart. He deals with us not from what we do but from who we are. He sees into our being and nothing is hidden from Him. The psalmist declares that distance cannot make us smaller so God cannot see. Darkness may prohibit the human eye but God can see through darkness as if it is light. There is no limit to God’s knowledge. No one may hide from His Spirit or His face even if one tries. Jonah knew it full well as he tried to flee away from God’s presence. God met him in the storm, in the belly of the fish and under the tree!

Because God knew, He spoke to His prophets and let the people know what He had already known. Based on His knowledge, He was to judge the people justly. Amos related God’s Word to the sinning people who refused to return to the Lord. God was to take away their bread in their cities. He was to withhold rain from them prior to harvest. He would send rain on one city but not another; one field would have rain but not another. This is the way the Lord deal with unrepentant people.

Everyone was looking for the day of the Lord, thinking that it would be the day of their salvation. For those who were right with the Lord, the day would be bright but for those who were wicked, the same day would become darkness and gloom for them. The day of salvation would turn into a day of judgment. So it is not about the day of God’s coming, it is about your human condition. God would rescue some and punish others according to His full knowledge.

Even religious activities such as the keeping of festivals, dates, sacrifices, offerings, songs of praise could be pleasing to the Lord or become an abomination to Him. It all depended on who was doing it. The person is more important than the activity. God said that He hated, abhorred, detested and would not accept or hear the offerings of the wicked. It was the person and not the gift that counted. God would like to see justice roll down like waters and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.

Enjoying life is good, to be comfortable and enjoying oneself is always nice. However, if we do so without God’s blessing, we become complacent and forget about God. Those who were enjoying life on top of Mount Zion and the hill of Samaria were too complacent. They did not bother to feel sad for the sins of Joseph but spent their time on ivory beds, eating good foods, enjoying music and having the most expensive ointments. God told them that if they were not right with Him, their enjoyment would be temporary.

So it is not what you do but who you are. God knows your heart and you need to go before Him with total honesty. Deal with your heart before you worship Him.