Why God Eavesdrops on You.
- I. M. Koen
- Jun 1
- 5 min read
Updated: Jun 11
When God listens in, and when He moves on.
Picture this: you and a friend are sitting at your local coffee shop, catching up on each other’s lives. Who would be secretly listening in on your conversation? Not the barista behind the counter. They are too busy. Not the businessperson furiously clicking away at their open laptop. Perhaps the nosy person at the table beside you is pretending not to, but furtively leaning your way.
But what about God? Is there a time when He would be clandestinely listening to your conversation?
When would He hear a few of your words and leave? And when would He pull up a chair and intently take in what you are discussing?
First, can God listen to our conversation?
Of course. Here’s what David wrote:
“Does he who fashioned the ear not hear? Does he who formed the eye not see?” Psalm 94:9 NIV
The New Living Translation states it this way:
“Is he deaf — the one who made your ears? Is he blind — the one who formed your eyes?”
Why would God visit a coffee shop?
There are 8.2 billion people on Earth today, and 38,000 coffee shops worldwide. Since I live in the US, there are over 22,800 Java joints for Him to pop into and listen to Table #4. There is only one reason for Him to visit yours and not bounce to the next.
It’s not for the prayers. Yes, God hears your prayers. “Father God, please bless this half-caf skinny mochaccino to the nourishment of our bodies, Amen.” He loves our thanksgiving acknowledgements of His provision. But prayers come to Him. Three times in Revelation, John wrote that the prayers of the saints are offered as a sweet savor to God. (5:8, 8:3, and 8:4) When we pray, it’s like God just drove by a bakery or a barbecue restaurant. He loves the scent.
“The eyes of the Lord watch over those who do right, and his ears are open to their prayers.” 1 Peter 3:12
But I’m not talking about our prayers. What about our daily conversations? Would God listen to the casual chats between you and your Christian bro or faith-filled gal pal? Yes. The proof comes from the Hebrew scriptures.
“Then those who feared the LORD spoke with each other, and the LORD listened to what they said. In his presence, a scroll of remembrance was written to record the names of those who feared him and always thought about the honor of his name.” Mal 3:16
The King James version says they “spoke OFTEN to one another.” Not to God. To each other. And how does God respond? He pulls up a chair and listens.
Yes, He hears your prayers. But He also listens to your conversations with other believers. If it’s grumbling and complaining, He moves on. He’ll bounce if it glorifies doubt, fear, hate, or deconstructionism. There is not much whining in the presence of a holy and mighty God.
If your conversation brings Him glory, He will listen and take notes. He wants it written down for eternity.
“In his presence, a scroll of remembrance was written to record the names of those who feared him and always thought about the honor of his name.” Mal 3:15 NLT
There is a heavenly scribe taking notes and recording the minutes from your meeting at a coffee shop. The Message Version puts it this way:
“Then those whose lives honored God got together and talked it over. God saw what they were doing and listened in. A book was opened in God’s presence and minutes were taken of the meeting, with the names of the God-fearers written down, all the names of those who honored God’s name.”
Who knew so much of the spiritual realm engaged in a group sitting in the corner booth, sharing a blueberry muffin, and talking about how God is showing up in their lives? God loves those gatherings. It’s why Jesus said:
”For where two or three gather together as my followers, I am there among them.” Mat 18:20
He doesn’t specify the location. He loves the gathering, the camaraderie, the fellowship, and the friendship. He starts taking notes if the conversation turns from politics and Netflix to Him.
What Are Holy Words That Please God?
You might think the next meet-up must look like a Pharisee convention. Nope. God delights when we dump the funk on our accountability partner. Our honesty and transparency about our lives will bust hypocrisy. The many scriptures about confessing secret sins to one another show how powerful a coffee shop meeting can be.
What happens to the meeting notes? They are read back at the judgment.
Most Christians fear the part about giving an account of every idle word at the judgment. (Mat 12:36) We’ve all been stupid with our mouths. But have you considered that every prayer at a meal, every “thank you” at narrowly avoiding a car accident, and every “God bless you” to a frazzled cashier will also be read back and rewarded?
Books? Plural?
Here’s where the “Book or Remembrance” will come into play. Most Christians know that when we devote our lives to Jesus, our names are written in “The Lamb’s Book of Life”. But that is not the only opened book.
“And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books.” Rev 20:12
Yes, dear friend, the “Book of Remembrance” is opened, and your reward is great because you met at a coffee shop and honored the One who created you. You might have thought it was just two friends catching up. But it was a powerful spiritual moment that affected your eternal destiny and reward.
Here’s the rest of the story. The following two verses say:
“On the day when I act,” says the Lord Almighty, “they will be my treasured possession. I will spare them, just as a father has compassion and spares his son who serves him. And you will again see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between those who serve God and those who do not.” Mal 3: 17–18 NLT
The NLT calls you His treasured possession. Other translations call you His “special treasure” and “jewels”.
Never underestimate the value of your chats. Many have entertained angels unaware. (Heb 13:2) And the God of the universe just might be smiling as He listens to your conversation.
Stay tuned for part 2, “God and IKEA trains.” I’ll tell you how I learned this lesson. It wasn’t in Jerusalem on the Temple Mount. It was in a child’s bedroom in Denton, Texas.
Thank you for reading this. May God reveal to you how precious you are to Him. And may you never forget how much you are loved. You sit protected and cherished among God’s special treasures.
You are loved! -Issachar
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