The One who sees me

As the minister began his sermon, entitled The God who sees me, I was reminded of an old testament story and comforted that God not only sees me, God knows me.

 Genesis 16 tells the all-too familiar story of Sarai and Hagar. God promised Abram a child and 10 years later, he and his wife were still waiting. Ten years! Can you imagine waiting on God to fulfill a promise. Many of us would have given up on God. And just like them, we might have even felt like God had forgotten us.

Unfortunately, I can relate to Sarai in her impatience of waiting and the need to take matters into her own hands. My methods were not quite so extreme, but none the less, I’ve been there, done that. So, she gave her maidservant, Hagar, to her husband, thus trying to fulfill the promise herself.

It is important to realize, we cannot fulfill a promise God made and if we try, there will be consequences.

Sadly, after Hagar became pregnant with Abram’s child, Sarai began to resent her and in turn, she even mistreated her. Oh, what a mess we make when we take matters into our own hands.

Hagar must have been feeling like she had very little control over her life. Therefore, confused and angry, she ran away. That is when the most amazing thing happened. The angel of the Lord sought her out and found her. Some commentaries believe this angel was actually a manifestation of Christ.

As Hagar sees the Lord for the very first time, she has an incredible revelation. In Genesis 16:13, she exclaims, “You are the God who sees me, for I have now seen the One who sees me.”

“I see the One who sees me.”

Sometimes life gets complicated. You may feel alone, isolated and even overlooked. You might even think God has forgotten you. But just like Hagar, God never takes His eyes off us. God seeks us out and finds us. Christ reveals Himself to us. That’s when the most amazing realization happens. You not only see the Lord, but the Lord sees you!

I hope you find comfort in the fact that God is seeking you out. As you encounter God, I pray you realize God sees you. He not only sees you, but knows you and loves you dearly.

Today, I want to encourage you to find ways to come into God’s presence. Bask in the Holiness of the Lord, relishing in the moments where you see God, and rest in the assurance that God sees you!

Let us pray;

Dear Lord, forgive me when I become impatient. Forgive me when I take matters into my own hands. Shine your presence upon me. And when I see you, help me to understand  that you have always seen me. You see me now. And you love me more than I could ever imagine. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen. 

Wanna go deeper? Listen to the praise song below. If you can’t see it, open this message from your browser. Read Isaiah 6:1-7. Read Genesis 16. Reflect on God’s holiness. Think about what it means to you that God sees you.

P.S. Leave me a comment below because I love hearing from you. Tell me how your have come into God’s presence this week. Forward this message to a friend and post this on Facebook. Don’t forget to tag me in it and I’ll see you back here next week. -M