Quick Take on the Chinese Spy Balloon Flying Over the United States

Over the past twenty-four hour news cycle, it has been interesting to hear the response of government officials at various levels and average citizens to the news of a Chinese spy balloon flying over the United States. Most of the commentary, of course, has been both political and nationalistic. No one wants another country violating their sovereign airspace to spy. On this level, as many have been commenting, the government’s response is critical. But what about in the non-political or nationalistic defense level? Here is my quick take on it.

Listening to Regional Government Leaders and Community Neighbors

As of this morning, and after a particular confirmed time yesterday, civilians do not know where the balloon is right now, for the most part. Yesterday, it was in Missouri. Here is a tweet from the National Weather Service in Kansas City.

The Missouri governor also tweeted about the spy balloon.

People generally on Twitter and other social media, as well as water cooler conversations all over, have been equally disturbed by it.

Here are the questions being asked by those not in the know: What if they are watching us right now? Since we do not really know where it is, what if they can see us? Are they out there watching?

 

Are they watching us?

My mind began to consider, What if they are watching us?

That’s an interesting rabbit hole to climb down into. What if they really are watching and are over us right now? What will they see? Will they learn anything? Will we be less safe?

Then, I thought: Well, who does watch us always and knows everything?

This exercise brought me all the way back to some key passages about our God – Who is always watching, knows everything, and is providentially taking care of us.

 

God is here and knows everything (Psalm 139).

Where can I go from Your Spirit?
Or where can I flee from Your presence?
If I ascend into heaven, You are there;
If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there.
If I take the wings of the morning,
And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
Even there Your hand shall lead me,
And Your right hand shall hold me.
If I say, “Surely the darkness shall fall on me,”
Even the night shall be light about me;
Indeed, the darkness shall not hide from You,
But the night shines as the day;
The darkness and the light are both alike to You. (Psalm 139:7-12)

We cannot go anywhere without God knowing. He is already there. He sees everything. Plus, He knows everything.

Although the psalmist was not originally happy about God’s presence and knowledge, we should rejoice in these simple facts: God is here and knows everything about us.

Praise the Lord for that!

Many verses teach this same thing. Here is a sample: Joshua 1:9; Deuteronomy 31:6; Matthew 28:20; 1 Corinthians 3:16.

God is here. He knows everything. He is in control.

 

Here is my take (spiritually, not politically).

I believe it is interesting to watch people get excited and uneasy about the possibility of the Chinese watching us right now. Yet, in or near the same thought, those same people are not considering the nearness of God, His control, His integrity, and His purposes.

You cannot trust any of those things about another nation sending a surveillance balloon into the sovereign airspace of another county. Their nearness may not be our good, we cannot trust their integrity, and we cannot trust their purposes.

However, with God, we can do all of those things. And, yes, another nation may be spying on us with a balloon and may, in fact, see us right now. However, God is greater, bigger, watching, in our presence, knows everything, and we can trust Him.

So, don’t get too excited about the Chinese or anyone else. Focus on what you know about our God. As Asaph wrote:

But as for me, God’s presence is all I need.
I have made the Sovereign Lord my shelter,
as I declare all the things you have done.

Or literally, “The nearness of my God is my good!”

 

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