1 Peter 3:12

1 Peter 3:12

Thoughts from Stuart Poteet

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For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayer. But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.

1 Peter 3:12

QOP- Behind the Scenes
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Are you a visual person? When you pray do you envision God looking down upon you? You are not alone! Today’s verse speaks of the “eyes of the Lord”, “his ears”, and “the face of the Lord”. I think we can all agree that each of us has some image planted in our heads of what we think God looks like. It’s by no mistake that even Peter uses human anatomy to help the reader relate. Sometimes we need a visual reference point to center on Him when we pray.

Slide

God’s attention is toward the righteous, not evildoers. The reference to God’s face as “against those who do evil” is strong language. It implies that the look on God’s face communicates his inner thoughts and feelings which, in this case, are against those who do evil. God is holy and sin is in direct conflict with the character of God. Only the righteous have God’s attention. That doesn’t mean that God ignores evildoers. Rather, the righteous have the ear of the Father when crying out in prayer.

Slide

Who are the righteous? Philippians 3:9 tells us “not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith.” The righteous are those who have placed their faith in Christ and the source of righteousness is not inherent or earned but instead comes from God. The finished work of Jesus turns God’s face toward those who believe when before His face was set against them. Positionally, the believer has a new identity that opens the door into the throne room of our Heavenly Father where we can come with confession and worship, our troubles, and our praise.

Slide

The One who we pray to is not some capricious entity made up by human imagination; not some fallen man or woman who was considered holy by their deeds and actions on earth. The bible, His Word, tells us who He is. He is above all that we can imagine, more powerful and gracious than we could ever describe.

QOP- Make it Real
Slide

What would you tell someone if they asked, “whom do you pray to?” I’ve never been asked that question, but it does make me pause and reflect. In our day and age, spiritual awareness is all around us. People seeking something outside of themselves because many know there must be something else beyond what we can see and hear.

Slide

We can fall into the trap of prayer focusing only on us and not on the object of our prayer. Our lifelong pursuit on this earth is to know more about our Heavenly Father. As we ask in prayer for God to reveal Himself through the Holy Spirit, we will also develop an even deeper prayer walk with Him. It goes hand in hand. As our verse of the day noted, we already have His attention, and His ears are ready to hear from us.

QOP- End in Prayer
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Dear Lord,

Help me to pray. Open my eyes and ears that I may see You and hear You. Continue to reveal yourself. Help me to remove the box that I put You in sometimes so that I can chase after my selfish desires. Instead give me the desire to know You more. In the name of Jesus, I pray. Amen.

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For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayer. But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.  

1 Peter 3:12

Behind the Scenes

Are you a visual person? When you pray do you envision God looking down upon you? You are not alone! Today’s verse speaks of the “eyes of the Lord”, “his ears”, and “the face of the Lord”. I think we can all agree that each of us has some image planted in our heads of what we think God looks like. It’s by no mistake that even Peter uses human anatomy to help the reader relate. Sometimes we need a visual reference point to center on Him when we pray. 

God’s attention is toward the righteous, not evildoers.  The reference to God’s face as “against those who do evil” is strong language. It implies that the look on God’s face communicates his inner thoughts and feelings which, in this case, are against those who do evil.  God is holy and sin is in direct conflict with the character of God. Only the righteous have God’s attention. That doesn’t mean that God ignores evildoers.  Rather, the righteous have the ear of the Father when crying out in prayer. 

Who are the righteous? Philippians 3:9 tells us “not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith.” The righteous are those who have placed their faith in Christ and the source of righteousness is not inherent or earned but instead comes from God. The finished work of Jesus turns God’s face toward those who believe when before His face was set against them. Positionally, the believer has a new identity that opens the door into the throne room of our Heavenly Father where we can come with confession and worship, our troubles, and our praise. 

The One who we pray to is not some capricious entity made up by human imagination; not some fallen man or woman who was considered holy by their deeds and actions on earth. The bible, His Word, tells us who He is. He is above all that we can imagine, more powerful and gracious than we could ever describe. 

Make It Real

What would you tell someone if they asked, “whom do you pray to?” I’ve never been asked that question, but it does make me pause and reflect.  In our day and age, spiritual awareness is all around us. People seeking something outside of themselves because many know there must be something else beyond what we can see and hear.   

We can fall into the trap of prayer focusing only on us and not on the object of our prayer. Our lifelong pursuit on this earth is to know more about our Heavenly Father. As we ask in prayer for God to reveal Himself through the Holy Spirit, we will also develop an even deeper prayer walk with Him. It goes hand in hand.  As our verse of the day noted, we already have His attention, and His ears are ready to hear from us. 

Danny Venhaus

Danny Venhaus

ACF Operations Director

End in Prayer

Dear Lord, 

Help me to pray. Open my eyes and ears that I may see You and hear You. Continue to reveal yourself. Help me to remove the box that I put You in sometimes so that I can chase after my selfish desires. Instead give me the desire to know You more. In the name of Jesus, I pray. Amen. 

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