The God Who Sees
8:37 AMHeatherI sat down yesterday morning with my Bible and prayer journal, burdened by all the suffering around me. The last few days, it seems we've received e-mail after e-mail expressing some prayer need from members of our church family who are facing sickness and the deaths of loved ones. A hopeful mother to be told that there is no heartbeat. Exhausted parents watching their children weighed down by anxiety and depression. The burdens of life just pressing in, and I could hardly even concentrate for my time with the Lord.
And then I read this.
14 But you, God, see the trouble of the afflicted;
you consider their grief and take it in hand.
The victims commit themselves to you;
you are the helper of the fatherless.
you consider their grief and take it in hand.
The victims commit themselves to you;
you are the helper of the fatherless.
17 You, Lord, hear the desire of the afflicted;
you encourage them, and you listen to their cry.
you encourage them, and you listen to their cry.
Psalm 10
I felt the burden lift a little. What a promise to pray for those who are hurting. And, as I sat in my "prayer chair," I contemplated the precious encouragement it is to know that God sees. He hears. Our pain and our cries are neither unseen or unheard.
And, it brought to mind a Biblical character who felt alone, unseen and ignored in her deepest pain and suffering. In fact, centuries later, we rarely consider her story at all. She remains more an afterthought than a main character. But, she is someone we can all relate to.
Hagar. The maidservant of Sarah. The one caught in the middle. She was tapped to be the answer. Yet circumstances twisted and she became the problem. She was sent away, pregnant and wandering in both a literal and a figurative desert. She was on the run. But, like us, she could never outrun the outstretched arms of the Lord. There, in her loneliest days of despair, an angel spoke sweet promises and instructions to Hagar. The heavens parted, and God reached down right to where she was. He reminded her that she was not alone at all. And so...
...She gave this name to the Lord who spoke to her: “You are the God who sees me,” for she said, “I have now seen the One who sees me.”
Genesis 16:13
Glimpse of GRACE: Sweet bloggy friends, may I remind you today of a truth that can change you, even if it doesn't change your circumstances. You are pursued, even there in your desert and your loneliness, by a God who sees. You may feel all alone, too far gone and running and all the while, you think that no one notices. But, the truth is, God is on a relentless pursuit of you. The truth is that God sees.
For you weary mothers of toddlers, endlessly pouring yourself out for the needs of your children and family.
God sees.
For the anguished ones watching your parents suffer through life threatening illness.
God sees.
For the grief stricken ones full of questions as you bury your loved ones.
God sees.
For the parents of children battling diseases no child should even know about.
God sees.
For the moms and dads of children and teenagers struggling through life's hardships.
God sees.
For the tired single mother, wrestling through each day.
God sees.
For the faithful Christ followers desperately praying for a child to raise to know Him.
God sees.
For the lonely woman who the world thinks has it all together, while you secretly hide your struggles.
God sees.
No matter your suffering. No matter your trials. No matter your failures. No matter your secrets. God sees. God hears your cries. You are not ignored. It does not go unnoticed.
And today, may you be encouraged to remember this truth. May you know that God sees the troubles of the afflicted and He considers your grief and he takes it in hand. He hears the desires of the afflicted. He listens to your cries. He wants to encourage you.
I pray that even in your desert, even in your wilderness, may you be like Hagar. May you KNOW deep down in your innermost being that God SEES. And today may you see the One who sees you. May you rest in the love of your God who sees.
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