“For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, And His ears are open to their prayers;
But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil” (1 Peter 3:12).
While writing to encourage all Christians who would receive this letter, the Apostle Peter pens this epistle to present a picture of the living hope that each person listening to God has in his heart.
The “righteous” are those who live the life prescribed in the new covenant, that is, according to God’s instruction—those “who do evil” are the ones who neglect to do so. God listens to the prayers of the obedient, but He does not listen to the prayers of the disobedient.
While the message is tersely stated, it should not be lost on us: For us to have the assurance that God has His “eyes” on us and that He listens to our prayers, we must be diligent in following the instructions He has given—both in our initial obedience to the gospel and in our continuing relationship with Him—in our worship, in our everyday lives, and in our moral code.