Jesus has just warned us not to emulate the hypocrites as we give. It does us no good to seize temporary glory by pointing out our good deeds. Past generations had a phrase for that. They called it, “vainglory”. Vainglory is what we seek when we are afraid that the sacrifice we make for the other’s benefit will go complete unrecognized. Jesus points out that such fear is completely unfounded. What we do in secret is not hidden from Him who sees. “But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.”
One of the primary characteristics of God is the attribute of omnipresence. God is everywhere, all the time. Another of His attributes is omniscience. He knows all, and there is nothing hidden from His understanding. The Bible declares, “God understands the way to it [wisdom] and he alone knows where it dwells, for he views the ends of the earth and sees everything under the heavens,” and, “He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding. He reveals the deep and hidden things; He knows what is in the darkness.”
These fundamental traits of the divine tell us that nothing we could ever do is apart from His knowledge of it – not only His knowledge of the event, but of our motives and intents in participating in the event. There is quite literally nothing we could ever keep secret from God. But that doesn’t mean that He’s keen to tell everyone your secrets. There are no secrets with God, but God knows how to keep a secret.
The most practical out-working of these facts is that we can be ourselves with Him, for He knows our inmost thoughts and intentions and yet still loves us! Another out-working is that we need not fear that He will let any good deed go unrewarded. He knows what we’ve done to honour Him by blessing those He made, and He will make good any ‘loss’ it may be to us. How could He not? It is His nature to bless. So much so that God will never miss an opportunity to bless. How much more certain when He sees His own, acting as Himself!
Make no mistake, giving in secret is exactly that, if nothing else. It is acting as He does. For God gives to all in secret. He does not physically show up to personally hand you the blessing. He does not write His Name on a card that He sends with it. He just gives it. And He does so from a place of invisibility and a source that we cannot locate. He does that a million times a day. He literally sends rain on the just and the unjust, and He causes the sun the rise on all who walk in the land of the living – and He does much more besides – without accolades, without demanding applause and without even so much as whispering His Name, every day. God is constantly going about blessing all those He made in His image, and He does so without the slightest fanfare or acclamation. That is who He is.
How it must thrill His heart then, when His children do likewise.
The pardoning grace of God is flowing all day and all night long, all the year round, quietly blessing thousands.
Charles Spurgeon
APPLICATION: Worship
Praise God for the many unassuming and quiet ways He blesses you today.