Both 1984 and "Minority Report"
play off our deepest fears…someone is watching every thing
we do.
I was in college in 1984. The idea of anyone watching the stuff
I was doing absolutely frightens me. In fact, I worked hard to
keep people from knowing all the misbehavior running rampant in
my life. I certainly didn't want monitoring devices around my
dorm room.
However, if I knew someone was watching,
maybe things would be different. Maybe I wouldn't be so bad.
Gonna find out whose naughty and nice.
This whole idea of our government and private
agencies watching us is ridiculous, right? Well…
Today cameras patrol intersections, trying
to catch those who run red lights.
Monitoring systems line malls and heavily
trafficked tourist areas.
Satellites watch our borders.
Custom officials have your picture, travel
itineraries and criminal record.
Credit card companies track your buying
habits.
Think about the technology that allows
Google Earth to zoom into a picture of our houses. When I first
played around with Google Earth, brought to me by my boys, I immediately
zoomed into our house. There it was. Our property. Our fence line.
Our roof. Driveway. Our big yellow floatation ring floating in
the pool! I was like…what's going on here?
My sons were so laid back about it, like
so what, big deal, we have satellite imagery. I sat speechless.
Have we progressed this far that from my laptop I can zoom in
and spy on the Queen in Buckingham Palace, a tribesman in Ethiopia,
a coffee grower in Venezuela or my ex-girlfriend wherever she
may be?
A few rolls of the mouse and bam, you can
go any where you want.
Should this cause us to be afraid-that
top secret government agencies possess the technology to zoom
into my pool and see what color flotation ring I have?
But stop and think what good this technology
has done.
The murders stopped and molesters apprehended.
The accidents prevented and lives saved.
Shop lifters detained.
Terrorists thwarted.
Identity thieves stopped.
A friend of mine got a call at 7:00 AM
one morning. On the line was his credit card company asking if
he had made three purchases on the Home Shopping Network that
morning at 5:22 AM. He looked at his wife, snoring next to him,
wondering if she was sleep-shopping. He said, "no."
The credit card company told him that someone had stolen his credit
card number and they would pursue an arrest.
"Have a good morning."
He sees you when you're sleeping.
Home security systems give us just that…security.
I watched a friend's house while he was away. He gave me instructions
on his security system which I forgot to punch in when I entered
his house. After five minutes, alarms blared. Sirens screamed.
I looked around in horror, trying to remember what I did wrong,
then frantically pressing every combination of numbers popping
into my head.
Suddenly I heard a voice in the room.
"What is the password?"
Where is that coming from, I thought. I
scrambled around the house and found the instructions. I called
out the password to the voice on the speaker. The man seemed appeased
and thanked me. The alarms stopped.
Some twenty miles away, a man sat in his high-tech office and
kept track of intruders in my friend's life.
Thankfully I was friendly and they didn't
need to release the robot attack dogs which I believed were hidden
behind the trap door in the walls.
He knows when you're awake.
We do find security in the fact that someone
is watching over us.
We all want to be noticed.
How do you feel when you enter a store
and no one says "hello" or "can I help you"?
Or a waitress who walks by your table and you need refills?
Or a teacher who calls on someone who put up their hand after
yours?
Ignored. Overlooked. Forgotten.
We like to know that someone understands
what we are going through, that sees our struggles and cares enough
to pay attention. We all want someone's attention.
Moe's, a popular Mexican eatery, has its
employees shout out when a new guest arrives, "Welcome to
Moe's!" It's funny and a little awkward, but it's nice. Everybody
in the store turns to you and says "Good to see you."
Who wouldn't like that? Maybe the guy who just walked in to rob
the place…
The story of the mass feeding begins with
this verse:
Some time after this, Jesus crossed
to the far shore of the Sea of Galilee (that is, the Sea of Tiberias),
and a great crowd of people followed him because they saw the
miraculous signs he had performed on the sick. Then Jesus went
up on a mountainside and sat down with his disciples. The Jewish
Passover Feast was near. When Jesus looked up and saw a great
crowd coming toward him, he said to Philip, "Where shall
we buy bread for these people to eat?" John 6:1-5
As Jesus worked the Jewish countryside,
word got out about his abilities. Healing the sick tends to attract
some attention. Jesus sat down on a mountain and looked out and
saw the people. Immediately he knew what they wanted.
Some of them were hurting physically.
Some of them discouraged over the current totalitarian religious
system.
Some of them chafing over Roman occupation.
Some mourning the loss of a loved one.
Some searching for answers.
Many were just plain hungry.
Whatever they faced, Jesus saw the need.
He noticed their hunger.
We see this same heart for people during
one of the greatest relocations in the Bible-the Jews moving from
Egypt to the Promised Land.
After a long time, the king of Egypt died. The people of Israel
groaned because they were slaves. They also cried out to God.
Their cry for help went up to him. God heard their groans. He
remembered his covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. So God
looked on the Israelites with favor. He was concerned about them.
Exodus 2:23-25
The LORD said to Moses, "I have heard the people of Israel
talking about how unhappy they are. Tell them, 'When the sun goes
down, you will eat meat. In the morning you will be filled with
bread. Then you will know that I am the LORD your God.'"
Exodus 16:11-12
We think when we complain and gripe about
things that the only ones listening are those in our immediate
audience. Truth is God listens too. He pays attention to our dissatisfaction,
discontent and discouragement, from something as major as slavery
to something as simple as daily hunger. He responds with concern.
Attention deficit disorder is the new "hot"
psychological calamity suddenly effecting everyone on the planet.
Those suffering from it can't keep focused or sit still. They
bounce and twitch for long periods of time, unable to take tests
or sit in long classes or meetings. (I would diagnose it as bad
behavior or too much sugar/caffeine in the morning, but that's
why I'm not a doctor.)
We all know people who greet you with the
warmest welcome, then thirty seconds later their eyes wander over
your shoulder and their body language shuts you off. They gives
verbal responses of "Mmmm-hmmmm," "yeah,"
"I see," and "Oh, sure" which seem fake after
awhile. The ears appear to be functioning, but the mind drifts
elsewhere. Attention deficit disorder or just plain rude?
God focuses all of his attention on our
situation. No disorders or distractions cause him to lose track
of your needs.
Superhero comics and movies show the superheroes
watching over a city, listening for cries of help. Once they hear
it, they fly off and save the one in distress.
But what if the superheroes knew about
the people's needs, but they chose to stay at home?
Seeing and knowing is one thing. Being
present is another.
God not only sees our situation but He
is present in our lives. One of greatest Psalms of comfort contains
these words.
Even though I walk
through the darkest valley,
I will not be afraid.
You are with me.
Your shepherd's rod and staff
comfort me. Psalm 23:4
We don't have to be afraid. God is on
the scene. And He's got a couple big sticks too.
The greatest comfort we can know is that
God knows, God cares and God is there. He gives us his full and
undivided attention.
Ever had a piece of Spyware stuck on your
computer? This annoying little piece of software attaches itself
to an email or downloads from a website invading your computer
and sending pop-ups to your screen every minute. My laptop got
infected and I couldn't go online because every minute I was closing
pop-up windows. It got so bad, the Spyware worked when I was offline,
opening blank screens and interrupting my typing.
I had to download four pieces of software from Microsoft, Dell,
AOL and Ad-Ware to hunt down and destroy this little menace that
knew when I was online and bothered me with its solicitation.
Temptations are like that. They sneak their
way into your mind and send pop-up messages to you all the time
that read:
"God's too busy for you."
"God doesn't see what you are doing."
"God could care less."
Erase those thoughts from your mainframe.
You matter so much that He can't take his
eyes off you.
He can't stop thinking about you.
You, that one person in the crowd.
Maybe your stomach's grumbling or your
spirit's hurting. He knows.
EVERY BREATH YOU TAKE
Every breath you take
Every move you make
Every bond you break
Every step you take
I'll be watching you
Every single day
Every word you say
Every game you play
Every night you stay
I'll be watching you
Oh, can't you see
You belong to me
How 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
I'll be watching you
Since you've gone I been lost without a
trace
I dream at night I can only see your face
I look around but it's you I can't replace
I feel so cold and I long for your embrace
I keep crying baby, baby, please...
Oh, can't you see
You belong to me
How my poor heart aches
With every breath you take
Every move you make
Every vow you break
Every smile you fake
Every claim you stake
I'll be watching you
Every move you make
Every step you take
I'll be watching you
I'll be watching you
I'll be watching you
I'll be watching you
I'll be watching you...
Some think this song is from the point-of-view
of a stalker. Go ahead and be cynical. I see it as a love song
that attributes undivided attention with the heart of care. The
lover's heart, soul, mind and strength are focused on the object
of his desire.
During those days of Ramen Noodles, Mac
and Cheese and Tuna Fish Sandwiches, those days before I was a
Christian, a friend of mine named Jeff talked to me endlessly
about God. I appreciated the discussions, but refused the invitations
to commit, even at a Billy Graham crusade in Los Angeles. Yes,
even Billy Graham couldn't get me to come forward. (My middle
son, Brady, ironically, did walk forward at a Billy Graham Crusade
in Tampa many years later)
Later, in another one of our late night
discussions, my stubbornness melted with this one thought.
We were talking about the creation of the world and I always believed
that God created the Earth. All of my questions of where does
the universe end and when did the universe begin could only be
found in God. So I believed in a creator God, but not a personal
God.
Jeff said this to me, drawing on a little
piece of scratch paper, which I still have: "So can a God
who made the universe have the ability to know what is going on
in the life of one person on the planet?"
Jeff, years before Google Earth, showed
me that God could zoom in from a wide shot of the universe into
my life. Just a couple clicks. He cared about my discouragement.
He cared about my situation. He even cared about the color of
my pool ring.
I realized then that God not only creates,
but He loves what he creates. God's heart, soul, mind and strength
are focused on the objects of his desire. Mankind.
Me.
"For God so loved the world…"
begins John 3:16, "that He sent his one and only son to…"
The first item on God's menu for us is
his complete and undivided attention.
He watches over us.
Checks up on us.
Guides us.
Loves us.
Saves us.
He sees us when we're sleeping.
He knows when we're awake.
This old hymn still rings true:
