You keep track of all my sorrows.
    You have collected all my tears in your bottle.
    You have recorded each one in your book.

-Psalm 56:8, NLT

A few weeks ago, I had the privilege of jumping on a live online event with Fr. Gregory Boyle. He is a priest whose life work is directed at helping young people exit the gang scene and enter productive society. “Homeboy Industries” is his ministry.

During this live event, Fr. Boyle said something that struck me as profound:

“The homeboys say, ‘They are used to being watched, but not seen.'”

Like those homeboys, how often do we believe God just watches us?

What would it mean if we believed He actually sees us? I think it makes the biggest difference in the world.

This is the good news found in Psalm 56:8–

God sees us in our pain!

To collect tears, someone has to get very close to the person crying. Such is the intimate picture of our God. He gets closer to us as we suffer and cry. God is far from an indifferent watchman!