You're Being Watched
“Here, I suggest you read these in addition to reading your Bible. They might become quite relevant in your lifetime.”
With a warm smile, a kind resident from one of the apartments I managed laid two books on my desk, then disappeared out the door.
I was still new in my faith and excited as I grew in my knowledge of the scriptures. Reading held new interest for me. The titles of the volumes delivered by this elderly renter captured my attention: Tortured for Christ by Richard Wurmbrand, and 1984 by George Orwell.
I quickly started to pore over the pages….
Recently Orwell’s 1984 came to mind as I read statistics regarding mobile smartphones. It is estimated that by the year 2020, 6.1 billion people will have phones with picture taking abilities (and often video).[1]
Recording devices document our movements more than we realize.
Myriads of CCTVs (closed circuit cameras) dot our cities and even remote places around the globe.
Helmet, dash and body cams along with smart phones record the actions of police, perpetrators, and victims as never before.
Doorbell cameras capture those seeking entry into businesses and private homes.
Employees as well as employers secretly record office conversations.
A man who makes his living monitoring dozens of security CCTV screens remarked, “There’s stuff you see on CCTV that makes you think, ‘That’s not adult behavior.’ They tend to forget who they are.”[2]
The writer quoting the man in the article added, “But do they really tend to forget who they are? Or do they simply tend to forget that someone might be watching?”
In 1984, a singer called Rockwell had a popular song with the chorus hook, “I always feel like somebody’s watching me….”[3] The lyrics indicate this person was thought to be “a little touched.”
The truth is, we act, think, and even perform our jobs differently if we think we are being observed. Researchers indicate that often crime goes down when monitoring cameras are visible. In the workplace, productivity increases when a supervisor is watching.
Long before Orwell penned the “Big Brother is watching” line or surveillance technology increased, global humanity has been under constant observation and evaluation. Our omnipresent holy God sees and hears all we do and say. Moreover, He knows even the thoughts and attitudes of our hearts.[4]
Nothing – not even our inner motives – can be hidden from our omniscient God.
We will all need to give an account for ourselves before this Holy God.[5] “He who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep” is true – whether one believes it or not.[6]
The atheist may scoff and disregard this reality for the present. But just like the thief who denies his crime, the truth is made plain when secret video is introduced into evidence.
The message of “salvation through Jesus alone” often gets lost in a tsunami of religious beliefs, philosophies, and the opposing voices and experiences of life. Yet, Truth remains. If you’re still searching, why not start with the One who claimed to be that exclusive truth?[7]
The next time you feel you are being watched – you are!
Written by Jeff, LIFE Staff
Have you ever considered why so much world attention focuses on Israel?
Wondered if there really is a God? If Jesus really is the Jewish Messiah and God’s sole provision for forgiveness of sins?
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[1] “They Are Watching You and Everything Else on the Planet,” Robert Draper, National Geographic, Jan. 2018.
[2] Draper.
[3] “Somebody’s Watching Me,” Rockwell, Motown Records, 1984.
[4] Psalm 94:11; Psalm 139; Hebrews 4:12-13.
[5] So then each one of us will give an account of himself to God” (Romans 14:12).
[6] Psalm 121:4.
[7] John 14:6.