In Genesis 16 we read the story of Hagar and Ishmael. Hagar had been brought to Abraham to conceive a child because Sarai, Abraham's wife, could not. But when Hagar became pregnant Sarai was jealous and treated her harshly.
Hagar Told To Submit
Hagar fled to the wilderness to escape Sarai when an Angel of the Lord appeared to her. His first command to her was to return to Sarai and submit to her. God's promise is that her descendants would be many, so many they could not be counted. In verse 11 the Angel lets her know that: "... the Lord has heard your affliction." Hagar declares,
Then she called the name of the Lord who spoke to her, You-Are-the-God-Who-Sees; for she said, “Have I also here seen Him who sees me?” Genesis 16: 13
God saw her and spoke a wonderful promise to her, but He also told her to "submit" to someone who had been unkind to her. Submit is not a word people like to use today. We don't want to allow people to have control over us. But God, who saw the future, He knew this was the best thing for her and the many people that would be her descendants.
The God Who Sees Me - El Roi
Many times we feel unseen. Many times we believe that our sorrows and pain are not seen by God. That He loves us, but from far away, sort of a general "Yeah, God loves everybody," kind of love. We forget, or maybe we don't know, that God sees us individually. He sees our sorrows. He is there for us.
Fear Him, Hope in Mercy and Be Loyal
Do we hope in God's mercy? Do we fear Him? In Psalm 34: 15 David says that God sees the righteous and hears the righteous. To be seen and heard by God we must strive for righteousness. Second Chronicles 16: 9(a) says the Lord looks for those who are loyal to Him so he can show Himself strong for them. Are we loyal to Him? Do we try to follow Him and His commands with our whole heart?
God Tests Our Heart
In Jeremiah 12: 3, the great prophet exclaims that God knows him and sees him. He tells us that God has tested his heart. God knows us better than we know ourselves. God sees and tests our heart. Is our heart truly set on Him? Proverbs 15: 3 lets us know that whether we are good or evil, God sees us.
God Sees All
In the New Testament there are many verses letting us know that God sees us.
"And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account." Hebrews 4:13
It is a sobering thought to know that God sees all. He sees our good and sees our sin. And in all we must give an account to Him. Nothing is hidden from Him. This verse sounds much like Job 34:21 when Elihu tells Job, "“For His eyes are on the ways of man, And He sees all his steps." In I Peter 3: 12 Peter tells us that when we are obedient to God He hears our prayers, He sees us. When we do evil, when we sin, He turns away.
The God Who Sings
One of my favorite verses is from the prophet Zephaniah in chapter 3 verse 17,
"The Lord your God in your midst, The Mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing.”
The God who saves is in our midst. His love quiets my troubled soul. He rejoices over me and will sing over me. What mother does not know the joy of singing over their child? What mother doesn't remember when her child was a baby that she could quiet their sobbing with her love? What mother doesn't remember rejoicing over her beloved child that God has blessed her with? How much more will God do those things for us, His children?
God's Gifts
As Jesus says in Matthew 7:11, "If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!" Our gracious Father, our El Roi, watches over us just as we watch over our children, but His love is greater and His gifts are far more perfect. His greatest gift to His children is His own son, our Savior, Jesus Christ.
God Watches With Love
God doesn't just watch over us with disregard. God doesn't see us without love. God watches us to see how our lives reflect His love for us. God watches us as a parent who longs for their children to make righteous decisions. As a parent who wants their child to show love to others as love was shown to them. You mattered to God even before you were born. He sees us in the midst of our sorrows and comforts us like no other. Amen and Amen!
Be blessed with The God Who Sees by Liz Cornwell!
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