13 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 NIV
An outcast, left to die, abandoned, rejected, shunned … was the woman who pronounced the Character of GOD as she had experienced Him: El Roi ~ the GOD Who sees. And He blessed her.
Like so many of us who have felt (maybe you are presently feeling this way) the mental, emotional and physical abuse that Hagar lived, we wonder if GOD is like man … and turns a blind eye and deaf ear to our sorrows. That longing in our heart of hearts to be accepted, wanted, desired, invited, welcomed ~ was placed there by GOD Himself, so that we would come to realize that He is the only one Who can rightfully satisfy that longing.
And in Christ we belong. We are His Daughters. No longer pushed aside, sent away, banished, forgotten, neglected … we are called to draw near and abide in His love, His family.
He sees, Sister. Your heartache and pain brings tears to His eyes as they do yours. What breaks your heart, breaks His. It doesn’t matter what the circumstances are, what the environment looks like, the involved people … He sees. He has seen your shattered heart and is able to heal those fragments back to wholeness.
Christ followers are not immune to the tyranny of the world. Your hurtful experiences are real, and we are called to be instruments of peace by uniting with one another in prayer, comforting those whom GOD has placed in our space and in our care.
Let us not overlook … ignore … walk away from … the one we know is hurting. Reminds me of the parable of the Good Samaritan:
30 In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. 31 A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. 32 So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33 But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. 34 He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. 35 The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’
36 “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”
37 The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.”
Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.” Luke 10:30-37 NIV
Let our walk match our talk. If not for our very own souls, but for the sake of those who are front row to our Christian testimony.
If we have truly experienced Jesus as the GOD Who sees, let us pray that we also shall see what He and who He intends for us to encounter and love on.
I love you to Heaven and Back, Girlfriend ~
LindaRJohnson, TitusTwo Visionary
*Thank you to Terrian for this.
Titus Two 