God Sees and Hears

1 Peter 3. The main theme of 1 Peter is our response to suffering. Here the response is prayer. In v.12 he quotes Psalm 34:15-16: "For the eyes of the LORD are on the righteous, and His ears are open to their prayers; But the face of the LORD is against those who do evil." I think I can safely say this may have been a favorite Psalm of Peter's. Why? Because in Acts 12 we read of how Peter was miraculously delivered from jail. Go back and read Acts 12 and you'll see how the church was praying for Peter, thus God's ears were open to their prayers, and His eyes were upon righteous Peter. And by the end of the chapter, the face of the LORD was against Herod, and Herod died. Peter knew what he was preaching about. He lived it!

Application:
As a child of God, here is what you can count on:
1. God Sees Your Trials:
He looks down and sees what you are going through. He sees the trials and tribulations you are going through, and He sees the storms you are in right now.
2. God Hears Your Prayers:
Never underestimate the power of prayer. Thomas Watson said, "The angel fetched Peter out of jail, but it was prayer that fetched the angel." I do believe we have angels watching over us. The psalmist said in that same psalm, "The angel of the LORD encamps round about them that fear Him, and delivers them..." Ps.34:7. But again, it's prayer that fetches the angel. You can count on this: God hears your prayers.
3. God Deals With Your Enemies:
The death of Herod was under the sovereign will of God. God will deal with our enemies. A sub-theme of 1 Peter is "Our Christian conduct in an anti-Christian world" (another response to suffering). God knows that we are living in an ever increasing anti-Christian world. He knows that the enemies of the cross are increasing, not only in number, but also in intensity. But take comfort in knowing this: God will deal with our enemies. Praise God! What have we to worry about when we know that our God is watching over us? Meditate on this today.