God Sees, God Knows, God Cares - Encouragement for Today - May 21, 2026

May 21, 2026

God Sees, God Knows, God Cares
LYSA TERKEURST

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“For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to give strong support to those whose heart is blameless toward him.” 2 Chronicles 16:9a (ESV)

Trying to control your own life is exhausting.

Ask me how I know.

I say with my mouth, “I trust God,” but sometimes I get overwhelmed and try to fix and control things myself. My trust in God becomes nothing but a statement I feel I should say rather than what I’m actually living out.

Distrust settles in. Self-reliance becomes my go-to. And then I wonder why I feel more and more exhausted.

If you can relate to these confessions, there are specific passages of Scripture I want us to look at together today.

Let’s start here: “The eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to give strong support to those whose heart is blameless toward him” (2 Chronicles 16:9a).

This verse is in 2 Chronicles 16, the last of three chapters detailing the story of Asa, king of Judah. Sadly, though, this promise stands in sharp contrast to Asa's behavior leading up to it.

In 2 Chronicles 14-15, because of Asa’s dependence on the Lord, God gave him rest and victory in the face of a massive army. Yet in Chapter 16, when King Asa found himself in a border conflict with a rival king named Baasha, Asa had a sudden and surprising shift in behavior. Instead of crying out to God as he had before, Asa immediately turned to his own means of addressing the situation — misusing the treasures of God’s temple and placing his hope in an unwise military alliance.

The ultimate result? Unrest for Asa and his people. The second half of today’s key verse says, “You have done foolishly in this, for from now on you will have wars” (2 Chronicles 16:9b). The king whose faith meant victory in the past invited battles into his future because he refused to trust God in the present.

I find this story convicting, sobering, and so very important to pay attention to. Just like Asa, our past declarations of faith are no guarantee that we will rely on God in the future. Faith is a present, ongoing choice for every believer.

That’s why I want us to look at two truths from 2 Chronicles 16 that will help us keep choosing to trust God, not just with our words but also with our actions:

1. God is not blind to our circumstances or our choices to trust Him.

When life gets hard, we can sometimes wonder if God sees all we’re facing. But there’s a beautiful reminder tucked into 2 Chronicles 16:9: “For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth … ”

We serve a God who sees. He is an all-knowing, ever-present God who is continually aware of every detail of our lives. And not only is God aware, but He’s also looking to strengthen individuals who are willing to wholeheartedly trust in Him.

2. God has been faithful before, and He will be faithful again.

I wonder how differently Asa’s future would have turned out if he had stopped to remember God’s faithfulness to him in the past.

Fear makes us forgetful. This is why we must purposefully look back and trace God’s hand of faithfulness (Hebrews 10:35-36). We can do this not only by looking back at our own lives but also by reading the story of God’s faithfulness woven throughout all of Scripture.

Oh, friends, are there any areas where we’re inviting not only exhaustion but possibly destruction because we’re refusing to rely on God? Do our frantic and controlling actions fail to match our faith-filled declarations?

Let’s not just declare we have faith. Let’s live out loud that we believe God is good, faithful, and trustworthy.

Let’s stop running to fix things our way so we can start fixing our eyes on God.

He sees. He knows. He cares. We can rest assured.

Father God, I confess that sometimes I forget to remember Your faithfulness from the past, especially when I am overwhelmed with unpredictable things today. Keep reminding me that not only do You see me, but You love me. I don’t know exactly what tomorrow will look like, but I do know who I’ll be looking to — You, Lord. Your love is unfailing, and Your hand is the safest place to entrust my hope. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

OUR FAVORITE THINGS

We know the Lord is faithful and we can’t ultimately control things. Still, we often feel compelled by something deep down inside of us to keep trying. Because what if this time we actually can fix the situation, convince another person to change, redirect the outcome, and prevent what we fear will happen? But God isn’t asking you to carry what only He can hold. That’s why Lysa TerKeurst wrote her new book, Making Peace with What I Can’t Control. In these pages, she’ll help you determine when you’re crossing the line from healthy responsibility into the dangerous territory of fear-driven control. You can preorder your copy today!

ENGAGE

Find everyday encouragement when you connect with Lysa TerKeurst here on Instagram.

FOR DEEPER STUDY

Psalm 62:8, “Trust in him at all times, you people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge” (NIV).

Where in your life are you inviting not only exhaustion but possibly destruction by refusing to rely on God? We’d love to hear what you’re reflecting on in the comments.

© 2026 by Lysa TerKeurst. All rights reserved.