I've Been Thinking / Spirituality

He sees you

Sometimes pain and hurt feels like a living thing, throbbing and pulsating. We feel alone, unnoticed, unseen. We are afraid and uncertain.

And then grace falls like rain on the desert. Our parched souls find solace, refreshment; sweet and tender.

A sermon

A dear friend shared her daughter’s sermon with us. And it touched my heart, moved me.

You can find and listen to it here: 
https://www.amberleachurch.ca/worship-service-audio?fbclid=IwAR2dPuaa5Vw2ByM7t-EAFg9nte85OG6iAQYQesEbrG6PFNrd8eaoVfXnOsw

Emma spoke about Hagar in the Wilderness from, Genesis 16:1-13, and Genesis 21:8-20.

God promised Abraham and Sarah a son and yet, Sarah was still not pregnant. Sarah anxious and impatient told Abraham to sleep with Hagar (a custom acceptable in that culture). Hagar becomes pregnant, Sarah finds this unbearable, and a conflict arises between them. So, Sarah exiles Hagar.

Alone

Hagar ends up in the desert, alone. The angel of Lord comes to her and speaks to her. And this is what she discovered: 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

God sees

I love that; He is the God who sees me.

He sees…

He sees me. 

And what fascinates me about this is that in being seen we also see. Hagar says, “I have now seen the One who sees me.” I had never noticed that in this passage. It’s as if they lock eyes, the God who sees Hagar, Hagar also sees. I pause, breathe deep, take it in, how precious. 

Like the old hymn, “Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in His wonderful face and the things of earth will grow strangely dim, in the light of His glory and grace.” 

To be seen and to see.

Never alone, unnoticed or unseen. Never.

Banished

After Ishmael is born, Hagar is again banished. Desperate and afraid for her son’s life we read:
“When the water in the skin was gone, she put the boy under one of the bushes. Then she went off and sat down about a bowshot away, for she thought, “I cannot watch the boy die.” And as she sat there, she began to sob.
God heard the boy crying, and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven and said to her, “What is the matter, Hagar? Do not be afraid; God has heard the boy crying as he lies there. Lift the boy up and take him by the hand…” Genesis 21:15-18a

God hears

Do you know what I discovered doing this piece? Ishmael means, “God hears.” 

The God who hears me.

He hears…

God hears me.

Do not be afraid

The angel of the Lord says to Hagar, “Do not be afraid. God has heard…”

In all our fears, in our uncertainties, He says: “Do not be afraid.”

I turn to Him, see the tenderness in His eyes, the love pouring over me, rain in the desert.

Seen and heard.

Loved and cherished.

And gently, and with utmost care, the words reverberate “Do not be afraid.”

Lay it down

I release my fear to Him, lay it down. He who sees and hears me knows the things that weigh heavy on my heart. He knows. He cares.

The God who sees me.

The God who hears me.

And now, I am no longer afraid.