When Someone Says “God Was Watching”: Is That Good?

There’s a certain confidence that comes through when someone says, “God was watching.” Usually, it means God saw that I was right. God saw that I was treated unfairly. God saw what really happened.

But in Scripture, when God speaks about His own sight, it almost never works that way. God’s watching isn’t a stamp of approval. It’s an invitation – sometimes a warning – and often a correction.

The adjacent image portrays what I think are two ways we often think of God.

One – He’s out to get me.

Two – He’s protecting me.

But the image shows, via the huge binoculars, that those views overstate the importance of “me” and misstate one important reason God is watching – and what He’s watching.

The truth is, Scripture paints a different picture.
God watches everything in His creation – not to validate our assumptions, and not to orbit around our fears or hopes. His sight is wider, deeper, and far more searching than the stories we tell ourselves.

What we “see” then about the image – it exaggerates the way we sometimes imagine God watching – as if His sight simply confirms what we already believe – and sets the stage for exploring how Scripture reframes divine vision entirely.

There’s something else we’ll examine today as well. Yes, we believe God is always watching. And yes, we can get it wrong. Sometimes very wrong.

But God wants us to be able to “see” as well. Not just the things we see – but also the things He sees.

The catch is, we can’t begin to see what He sees until we know something about Him and, yes, what He sees. We’ll see the real-life event that’s behind this article soon. But it’s better to “see” what I mean first. (Sorry, a little bit, about all the vision puns – they’re almost impossible to avoid.)

Here’s an example from the Old Testament to explain what that entails. BTW – I don’t usually include too much scripture here on this site – but some is essential, so I’ll keep it to a minimum.

God calls Jeremiah to be His prophet

The beginning of Jeremiah introduces him to us. It also shows us something of what God gives him – and which we, today, can also partially have.

Let’s look at the four highlighted verses.

1. I do not know how to speak: Obviously, it’s not that Jeremiah literally cannot talk. Rather, it’s that Jeremiah cannot speak for God.
   • That seems like a huge problem.
   • But, not to worry, if God wants someone to do something, He’ll give them the ability to do it.
2. But the LORD said to me, “Do not say, ‘I am only a child.’ You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you. Problem solved.
3. Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you,” declares the LORD. Please note – this isn’t God watching. This is God protecting His prophet. This promise was likely especially important for Jeremiah, who’s known by the nickname of the “weeping prophet”.
   • The nickname wasn’t because Jeremiah was weak or fearful. He was weeping because he saw what God saw – and that broke his heart.
   • So: this is God protecting His prophet – the one who would carry God’s grief, God’s warnings, and God’s compassion to a people who didn’t want to hear it.
4. Then the LORD reached out his hand and touched my mouth and said to me, “Now, I have put my words in your mouth.” This is the key.
   • For Jeremiah – so he could see what God saw and tell God’s people what God saw.
   • It’s also the key for us, because it can give us the ability to see something of what God sees.

The Holy Spirit is how we, as Christians, are able to communicate with God, albeit not in the same sense as we communicate with other people. We aren’t forced by God to use this ability, but we can if we choose to do so. Along with that idea, we can utilize as little or as much of the Holy Spirit as we care to commit ourselves to doing it. Hold onto this thought – it will come up again in a bit.

God asks Jeremiah: What do you see? — the first time.

For now, though, let’s continue with the passage from Jeremiah.

I have to say – this just seems so obvious. How can Jeremiah not see an almond tree?

But – here’s the thing. Jeremiah knew, at least – likely from knowledge God gave him, that there was something else going on there in addition to seeing an almond tree.

We maybe feel something’s off there, with God’s response. But will we take the time to find out why we have that feeling? I mean – how can Jeremiah seeing an almond tree get this response from God: “You have seen correctly, for I am watching to see that my word is fulfilled.”? You have seen correctly by identifying an almond tree – that’s a pretty easy thing to do if you live someplace that has lots of almond trees. But – for I am watching to see that my word is fulfilled – how does that follow from such a simple observation?

Have you ever checked it out? Honestly, I’ve never looked before. Now? I have to. The answer was fascinating. It was also something we’d never get unless we looked it up – or knew Hebrew. Here it is:

✏️ The almond tree: God’s Word will be fulfilled (vv. 11–12). In the Holy Land, the almond tree blossoms in January and gives the first indication that spring is coming. The Hebrew word for almond tree is saqed, while the word for “watch” or “be awake” is soqed. The Lord used this play on words to impress Jeremiah with the fact that He is ever awake to watch over His Word and fulfill it. ¹Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). Be Decisive (p. 20). Victor Books.

Warren Wiersbe

There’s quite a bit of this kind of wordplay in the Bible. But those of us who don’t know the original language won’t get it.

But now, we do know. And yet, what do we know? What does the almond tree answer mean?

• It means God is watching.
• In Jeremiah’s case, it means that as God’s prophet, Jeremiah knows that God is watching and that God’s will is going to happen.
• In our case, as Christians, we have God’s Holy Spirit in it, and can know this as well.

So, that’s the first time God asks,

“What can you see?”

God asks Jeremiah: What do you see? — the second time.

Yes, God asks the question again.

OK – a boing pot that’s pointing away from the north. God makes it plain what that’s about in the following passages.

Oops. That’s not going to be good.

Quite simply, that’s my point.
Yes, God is watching.
watching for His will to be done.
But – are we doing His will? Or, in the worst possible case, are we subverting God’s will?

What is God watching?

Honestly, that depends on what we’re doing, doesn’t it?

No, it doesn’t matter what we think we’re doing.
It does matter what God knows we’re doing.

Here’s just one recent example from the news.

There was an article on msn.com from The Daily Mail, titled “US fighter pilot shot down over Iran says ‘alien’ drones in ‘jellyfish formation’ swarmed him“.

No – we aren’t going to talk about aliens. That’s just the headline.

The article had to do with rescuing an American pilot who was downed in the American war on Iran. Since the American government has chosen to portray this President as appointed by God for this time, I think it’s important for Christians to look at their actions in that light.

To that end, I encourage you to also check out God raised you up for this purpose. What does that mean? 

The one piece of the article that I want to examine is this Quote from the President:

✏️ God was watching us

U.S. President Trump

And therein lies the question. It wasn’t God was “helping”. Not God was “guiding”. It was God was “watching”.

And what, exactly, did God think of what He saw?

Not just the event of rescuing a downed pilot.

No – the larger context. One of an administration, whose threats included wiping out an entire country. Who, after claiming to have annihilated the military, continued massive bombing. Whose stated targets were civilian infrastructure – a war crime to most civilized countries.

Yes – what was God watching and what did He think of the things being done in His name?

This is about your soul!

As I always include, this is not about this administration. They will do what they will do.

My concern though – it is your souls, the souls of people reading this.

If you’re Christian, know that this is the Christianity I see taught in the Bible.

If you’re non-Christian, the message is the same.

While God may have “raised up” people in this administration to do these things, realize that God also “raised up” Pharaoh, Nebuchadnezzar, and others in the Bible that were eventually brought down and paid the price for what they did to God’s chosen people, given the free will to do what they would do.

Conclusion

So, when I hear someone say, “God was watching,” I pause. Not because the statement is wrong – Scripture says God is watching – but because the meaning behind it matters.

In the news story that prompted this reflection, the phrase was used as a kind of vindication: God saw what happened, and God agrees with me (by the person who said God was watching.

But in Jeremiah’s calling, God’s watching wasn’t about approval. It was about hearts. It was about God asking, “What do you see?” – and then reshaping the answer.

If anything, Jeremiah’s nickname – “the weeping prophet” – reminds us that seeing what God sees rarely leads to triumph. More often, it leads to tenderness, humility, and a willingness to be corrected.

And maybe that’s the real invitation here. Not to claim that God saw things our way, but to ask God to help us see things His way.

If you’d like to explore how Scripture describes that kind of sight – and how the Holy Spirit teaches us to see with God, as opposed to think we see for God – I’m working on a longer version of this article on my other site, godversusreligion.com. I’ll add the link here when it’s published.

Footnotes:

• 1
  Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). Be Decisive (p. 20). Victor Books.