Nothing is hidden in our world today. All your data—all the silly, sweet, and sinful things you’ve ever searched or said—is stored in the “clouds.” But it’s also stored on the earth. It’s recorded with your ever-listening, ever-seeing smartphone; it’s attached to your countless “private” profiles; it’s preserved by Google, Apple, Meta, Amazon, and OpenAI, stashed on multiple continents in humongous futuristic warehouses constructed specifically to store, analyze, and monetize your data. Your time and attention are sitting somewhere in Chile, or Indonesia, or Belgium, being probed and sifted by AI’s never-sleeping mega-algorithms. That scares me. It probably scares you too. But have you ordered your fears rightly (Matt. 10:28)? What should we fear more: the all-seeing eye of algorithmic surveillance or the omniscient view of a Holy God? While we shouldn’t toss our Social Security numbers in our Instagram bios, and while we shouldn’t simply wave our white flags and let Amazon or Apple scrape up every scrap of our private information, we should bear this in mind: In the now, everything we do is being recorded. In the end, everything we’ve done will be revealed. If Google’s database in Chile causes us to think of God’s database in heaven (and perhaps to shudder), then it’s valuable indeed. Everything Is Being Recorded The Bible is full of comments about how everything we’ve ever done is being recorded (e.g. Ps. 56:8, Mal. 3:16, Dan. 7:10, Rev. 20:12). God’s “scrolls,” which have been translated as “books” and which could now be translated as “databases,” are the only data centers we should fear. Google’s database can’t hold a candle to God’s. What should we fear more: the all-seeing eye of algorithmic surveillance or the omniscient view of a Holy God? Yes, everything is being recorded. Yes, that can be dangerous in the wrong hands. And yes, we should take measures to prevent this. But no, it shouldn’t make us fear—at least not nearly so much as we fear the true Judge (Luke 12:2–5). Everything Will Be Revealed Picture this: You stand still, stunned, small—unbearably small. Everyone you’ve ever and never known is there with you. At the front of the vast space is one great white throne. The King of Glory sits there, and he holds a remote control. Wait—what? Yes, God holds a scepter of power, which is to say, a remote control, and when he clicks the power button, a mountainous high-def screen whirs to life, and the image on the screen is, well, you. It’s every moment of your life playing back with 4D visuals and surround sound. Before an infinite crowd, before an infinite God, your data is to be examined, analyzed, and judged. Now that’s something to fear. The Word is stunningly clear that one day everything will be revealed, and we will all—believers and nonbelievers alike—answer for everything we’ve done (Matt. 12:36; Rom. 2:6–8; 14:10–12; 2 Cor. 5:10; Heb. 4:13; Rev. 20:12). All the wisdom of Ecclesiastes is summed up in this final verse: “For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil” (Eccl. 12:14). Therefore, “fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man” (v. 13). Google, Apple, and Meta have made this doctrine easier than ever to communicate. Anytime I preach or teach this, my Gen Z peers immediately get it. We’ve experienced everyone knowing everything about us. In our graceless cancel culture, many of us have lived perpetually paralyzed by the fear that our posts or search history might come back to haunt us. We know what it means to be socially naked, to never escape the screenshots of what we’ve done—and it’s already unbearable for our anxious generation. How could we bear dealing with a God whose memory is infinitely sharper and holier? Everything Has Been Redeemed God’s database is never in danger of losing the information that inevitably damns us. Yet only in knowing the accuracy of God’s memory can his willed forgetfulness become bliss. Only in knowing the accuracy of God’s memory can his willed forgetfulness become bliss. When our Redeemer says, “I, I am he who blots out your transgressions for my own sake, and I will not remember your sins” (Isa. 43:25), we know he’s not just going to click the backspace button and pretend nothing happened. No. He will painstakingly take the whole of our sin, substituting himself for us, and nailing it to himself so it’ll never rise again. Our sin will not be rewritten. It will not be rerecorded. It’s irretrievable, as far as the east is from the west (Ps. 103:12). It’s because the Lord’s database cannot be destroyed that Jesus has taken our sin and borne the punishment for those who repent and believe. Even still, God’s records abide. You and I will still stand before the judgment seat. Now that our Lord has scrubbed our soul-films of any evil, the only question remaining is this: What good will be left for him to see? Maybe everyone knowing everything about you can be a good thing. It reminds you to flee from what you wish you could delete and to fly toward what you hope will never be forgotten.

Reading missionary biographies has been an important part of my spiritual formation. In the hierarchy of recommended spiritual disciplines, reading biographies often doesn’t rank as highly as consistently attending church, cultivating a vibrant prayer life, or diligently studying Scripture. However, many would benefit from the practice. The stories of faithful gospel servants like David Brainerd, William Carey, and John G. Paton have inspired men and women to evangelize more faithfully. Similarly, the writings of missionaries like Elisabeth Elliot and Brother Andrew have encouraged some people into cross-cultural vocational ministry. I’ve just encountered the extraordinary story of Helen Roseveare, an English missionary to the Congo. She was a doctor who left the comfort of her homeland to train local medical staff, care for the sick, and share the gospel. Her story is filled with amazing ups and surprising downs. Throughout her ministry, Roseveare often asked, “Has it all been worth it?” Her autobiography, just republished in a single volume, helps us understand that it was. I interviewed Betsy Childs Howard, who wrote the introduction and afterword to the new volume, Helen Roseveare: A Life in Her Own Words, and gained a deeper appreciation for this powerful story of God’s faithfulness. You’ve written and spoken about Roseveare’s story several times. Why is her story so important to you? I’m not a foreign missionary, but missionary biographies have been key to my spiritual formation. I’ve never met a missionary more honest about herself and her weaknesses than Helen Roseveare. She wasn’t, however, someone who gloried in failure or ever celebrated sin. She longed to know God and the power of his resurrection, and she hated her own sin. Her books have shown me what repentance in the Christian life should look like. Plus, they’re full of really wonderful stories! What’s your favorite story from Roseveare’s life? Helen’s life included many stunning answers to prayer that can accurately be described as miracles. But the story that comes to my mind most often is one where God didn’t intervene in a difficult situation. Helen lived in the Congo in a brick cottage with a thatched roof. As the thatch wore away, the roof became leaky, and she decided to replace it with corrugated metal. She and her helpers waited until the dry season, when they could expect five to six weeks with no rain. They removed the thatch one day and planned to put the new roof on the next. Helen went to sleep that night under the stars, but she awoke in the night to a downpour, something unheard of in the dry season! Her house filled with water, and her beloved books, so hard to come by on the mission field, were soaked. It took weeks to dry out and clean all of her possessions. This discouraged Helen the same way that it would have discouraged you or me. She struggled to “count it all joy.” But she kept walking by faith, reminding herself of the line from Hebrews 10:34: “You joyfully accepted the plundering of your property.” I suppose this story has stuck with me because God so often allows trials and inconveniences into our lives, even when we’re trying hard to do his will in ministry. Sometimes, we can’t see any good purpose in what he has allowed. But just as Helen believed in God’s goodness and loving care, even when all she could see with her eyes was soggy books, we can too. There’s a temptation to view some stories as being most helpful for a particular audience because of the life circumstances of the protagonist. Who should read Roseveare’s autobiography? First, I’ll tell you who shouldn’t read Helen Roseveare—anyone who prefers not to be challenged to grow in his or her walk with the Lord. Readers should also avoid her books if they don’t like to hear about amazing instances of God’s meticulous providence in answer to prayers. Helen’s stories are full of these. I commend her books to everyone else. I believe Christians in full-time ministry will be especially helped by Helen’s writing. She wrote honestly about her difficulties in relating to fellow missionaries and mission staff. No one could come away from her books with a rosy view of ministry, but readers will come away with a smaller view of themselves and a bigger view of God. Her story will also be encouraging to single Christians. Although she would have liked to marry, she never did. She talks frankly and faithfully about her desires, her loneliness, and the blessings of God’s provision. What’s the most important lesson we can learn from the life and ministry of Helen Roseveare? Helen’s story isn’t one of stunning ministry success; it’s the story of a woman who continually submitted herself to God’s will and to his painful refining. It’s easy to think this is somehow easier for a missionary or a famous writer than it is for me, but it wasn’t. It’s tempting to think we’ll reach an age or level of spirituality where God will let us coast. But Helen’s whole life was a testimony that “the Lord disciplines the one he loves” (Heb. 12:6). He didn’t love Helen any less when she left the mission field or became a sought-after speaker or grew too old to travel, and his sanctifying work in her life continued until the day she took her last breath.

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