John 3:19 This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.

John 3:16 is rightly the most famous verse in the Bible, but people really need to keep reading past that. God doesn’t vindictively dump people into hell, but they choose it for themselves. They mostly don’t realize it’s hell they’re choosing, but they choose their evil deeds over God’s light. Privacy is indeed an issue in society, but often the ones who are most prying into other people’s affairs have the most reason to hide their own. Almost 50 years ago the Supreme Court invented a “right” to abortion out of the right to privacy, based on the 6^th Amendment in the Bill of Rights, which protects against “unreasonable searches and seizures.” Thankfully that looks about to be exposed for the insanity it is, but the whole issue is an excellent example of the reality behind this passage. People want to cover up the evil of their immorality through the evil of murder. However, that’s just one example. Politicians are an excellent case in point, because they feel their “exalted status” allows them to do things “common people” aren’t allowed to get away with. They forget that “Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.” (Hebrews 4:13) Accountability doesn’t seem to be in their vocabulary! Seeing things in the dark isn’t the half of it, because God sees even into the depths of our heart. That is a joyous truth for those who love God and seek to follow Him, but it is a fearsome reality for those who try to turn their backs on Him.

I’m a strange one in this area, because I have known and understood from a young age that God could see everything, and yet at times I chose to do things that I knew weren’t pleasing to Him. At this point in my life I want Him to point out to me things that still aren’t pleasing to Him, but sometimes I can be pretty dense. Looking around me I see people all the time who are trying to hide this, that, or the other, but it doesn’t work very well even in relation to the people around them for very long. Sometimes the results are immediately tragic, like the neighbor where we used to live deliberately driving her car off a cliff, when none of us knew she was in such emotional turmoil. Sometimes God gives me words of knowledge about people, and it can be very shocking to them when I indicate I know things about them that they thought were hidden. I am to act on such knowledge as God intends, starting first with prayer, and not let myself get puffed up over it. I’ve got to remember at all times that I too am totally dependent on the grace and mercy of God.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Help me rest, relax, and rejoice in the knowledge of Your omniscience, living in such obedience to You that I’m not worried about hiding anything at all, so that I may be transparent enough for those around me to see You through me, for their blessing and Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!