Today I have the lyrics to Stings’s “I’ll Be Watching You” in mind. The first part of this song goes like this:

Every breath you take
And every move you make
Every bond you break
Every step you take
Ill be watching you

Every single day
And every word you say
Every game you play
Every night you stay
Ill be watching you

Oh, can’t you see
You belong to me
Now my poor heart aches
With every step you take

Every move you make
Every vow you break
Every smile you fake
Every claim you stake
Ill be watching you

This may sound kind of cheesy now but I will admit that back in the day I once had the worship leader of the church I was pastoring sing this song at the conclusion of a sermon I had just preached—a sermon that was making the point that it’s God’s style, as a loving father, to watch over his kids. My main text for that sermon was Matthew 10:29-31 which reads:

Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. ³⁰ And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. ³¹ So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. (Matthew 10:29-31)

At one point in the message I indicated how that the following passages from the Book of Psalms provide support for the idea that it is indeed God’s style to watch over his people: 

As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the Lord surrounds his people both now and forevermore. (Psalms 125:2)

For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous … (Psalms 1:6)

He will not let your foot slip– he who watches over you will not slumber; ⁴ indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. ⁵ The Lord watches over you– the Lord is your shade at your right hand; ⁶ the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night. ⁷ The Lord will keep you from all harm– he will watch over your life; ⁸ the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore. (Psalms 121:3-8)

But the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love … (Psalms 33:18)

The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their cry … (Psalms 34:15)

O Lord, you have searched me and you know me. ² You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. ³ You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. (Psalms 139:1-3)

Now, when I was a kid, the idea that God was watching everything I did was not a little intimidating. But now, it’s one of the most comforting concepts that can occur to me.

What makes the difference? First, my understanding of God’s motive has matured. I’ve come to understand that he’s not watching me hoping to catch me doing something wrong; he’s simply looking after me as a diligent dad would the child he loves as much as life itself. (You have to be a father yourself to really understand this.) Second, my ability to embrace grace has matured as well. More and more I’m learning (also as a result of being a father) that when (not if) I mess up and think or do something I ought not, or fail to do something I should, his grace is there offering not only forgiveness, but the power to do better the next time.

What a life! An existence filled with hope, meaning, purpose, direction, assurance … spiritual power! God’s grace doesn’t motivate me to want to see how much I can get away with. On the contrary, knowing the real reason why he’s watching over me makes me want to please him with every ounce of strength I possess.

As you can see, for some reason my heart is full this morning with gratitude to a loving heavenly Father who in so many words is saying to me today:

Every breath you take
And every move you make
Every step you take
Ill be watching you

Just so you know, he’s watching over you too.

Something to think about.