I live in the Middle of Nowhere. Well, kind of—depending on where you’re from, I guess. I live in the land of lakes and forests on the far northern edge of America, far from everything that makes the nightly news. Our newspaper is filled with high school sports and fishing reports rather than shootings and hurricanes and riots.

Politicians don’t pay attention to the Middle of Nowhere. We aren’t visited by Hollywood stars or YouTube influencers. We are hours from the nearest interstate highway. Even airlines don’t leave their thin white trails over our section of sky.

To the rest of the country—the rest of the world–we don’t matter, here in the Middle of Nowhere. And that’s fine, for the most part. Most of us are happy to let the noise and craziness of the world pass us by. But that doesn’t mean that we are unseen by God. That we are unnoticed by Heaven.

“The eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth”, the Bible says, “to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him.”* Those eyes find Judy, tending to her disabled husband and daughter. They find Wendy, fixing a pot of soup for someone in need of comfort. They find the ones praying in the darkness. The ones stopping to listen. The ones bringing their tools or shovels to help another in Jesus’ name, here in the Middle of Nowhere.

In God’s economy, we are all seen. Noticed. Loved. We don’t have to make the headlines or chase our 15 minutes of fame on Instagram.

To the rest of the world, I may live in the Middle of Nowhere. But in God’s estimation, I live right smack in the Middle of Somewhere. And that is a beautiful place to be.

Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.

Psalms 139:7-10

*2 Chronicles 16:9