Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today

When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” Luke 19:5

So often we can feel like we’re just one of the many faces in the crowd. The corporate nature of our faith is crucial to understanding God’s purposes in Christ. After all, the Lord said to Abraham, ” I will make you the father of a multitude, as many as the sand on the shore and the stars in the heaven.” Yes, we are each a part of that huge multitude the Lord spoke of. But it is also crucial to our faith that we know and understand that each of our individual lives is ever before Him as well. We need both; a strong sense of the corporate nature of our faith and a quiet confidence that as an individual man or woman, we aren’t lost in the crowd in this life we live.
You may say, “Oh, I know I’m important to the Lord, after all, He died for me.” True, but are you convinced that every area of your life, every step, every decision, even the thoughts and intents of your heart are dear and precious to Him as well. Or are you just a face in the crowd, or perhaps, a watcher from a vantage point above sitting in a tree.

One of the pleasures of being a father is watching your children or grandchildren when they are young, just playing and having fun when they aren’t aware you are watching them. Their innocence, simplicity of heart, and exuberance for life is so beautiful to see. They are secure, because even though they aren’t interacting with you at that point, they know you are there, and that gives them comfort and peace.

Zacchaeus had no expectation that Jesus would see him that day, let alone have dinner with he and his family in their home that night. But Jesus did see him. He saw him in the midst of the crowd that was clamoring for Him, that was pulling on Him, and He saw him when no one else could. And that day when Zacchaeus became fully aware that he was “seen” by the Lord, his life changed forever.

The confidence that our lives are ever before the Lord is a powerful motivator. It motivates me to live my life in secret as I do in public, and it strengthens me when I feel alone and unseen to know that I am never out of His sight. It gives me peace when I am uncertain about the future, and it compels me to love Him all the more because I know that He loves me and cares about me in every way. The Lord sees me and He sees you. He sees me in His Son, and He sees me as I was created to be. But He also sees me in my humanity, in my vulnerability and in my times of uncertainty. And He loves me. My life is forever changed because He sees me.

Rick Martinez