Daily Encouragement: The God Who Sees

The pain of rejection runs deep, doesn't it, precious sister? Not so much in our jobs or careers but more so in relationships with people we care about. This is especially true as we age and give our heart to a man and dream for a future together, but if we give ourselves to him physically, intimately, we bind ourselves to him in a way that God intended to last for a lifetime (Matt 19:6).

So what happens when this man that we love (or loved) packs up and leaves or when we decide it's time to remove ourselves from the relationship either in divorce, broken engagements, or just a parting of ways? This union or marriage (whether legal or otherwise) is broken and a mourning period begins because the loss of this person with whom you have joined yourself is much like the death of a spouse or a dearly loved friend.

However, on top of these feelings of sorrow or loss can be the pain of rejection if the man is the one who chooses to leave or refuses to chase after us, ask for a second (or third) chance, and vow to work it out whatever the cost. A sense of inadequacy and fear of future rejection as well as desperation to be truly loved and valued overwhelm our thoughts and build walls in our hearts that are nearly impossible to break down. However, my friend, nothing is impossible for God! (Matt 19:26)

There indeed is hope for your heart, dear sister, if you are in this place, this place of grief and mourning because our God, the God of the Universe, the God Who Sees (El Roi) you and hears your cries, moves with compassion toward you and desires to comfort you if you will let Him.

Please take some time to read through the following passages from Genesis about a woman named Hagar and consider how you might respond to the God Who Sees and Hears today:

"But Sarai, Abram's wife, had no children. So Sarai took her servant, and Egyptian woman named Hagar, and gave her to Abram so she could bear his children. 'The Lord has kept me from having any children,' Sarai said to Abram. 'Go and sleep with my servant. Perhaps I can have children through her.' And Abram agreed. So Sarai, Abram's wife, took Hagar the Egyptian servant and gave her to Abram as a wife. (This happened ten years after Abram first arrived in the land of Canaan.)

So Abram slept with Hagar, and she became pregnant. When Hagar knew she was pregnant, she began to treat her mistress Sarai with contempt. Then Sarai said to Abram, 'It's all your fault! Now this servant of mine is pregnant, and she despises me, though I myself gave her the privilege of sleeping with you. The Lord will make you pay for doing this to me!'

Abram replied, 'Since she is your servant, you may deal with her as you see fit.' So Sarai treated her harshly, and Hagar ran away.

The angel of the Lord found Hagar beside a desert spring along the road to Shur. The angel said to her, 'Hagar, Sarai's servant, where have you come from, and where are you going?'

'I am running away from my mistress,' she replied.

Then the angel of the Lord said, 'Return to your mistress and submit to her authority.' The angel added, 'I will give you more descendants than you can count.' And the angel also said, 'You are now pregnant and will give birth to a son. You are to name him Ishmael (meaning God hears), for the Lord has heard about your misery. This son of yours will be a wild one--free and untamed as a wild donkey! He will be against everyone, and everyone will be against him. Yes, he will live at odds with the rest of his brothers.'

Thereafter, Hagar referred to the Lord, who had spoken to her, as 'the God who sees me,' for she said, 'I have seen the One who sees me!" (Genesis 16:1-13)

Later, in Genesis 21, after the birth of Isaac (the firstborn of Abram and Sarai or Abraham and Sarah now), we read of what happens to Hagar and her son and how God, again, speaks to her. Keep reading, girl, it's surely worth another minute or two!:

"As time went by and Isaac grew and was weaned, Abraham gave a big party to celebrate the happy occasion. But Sarah saw Ishmael--the son of Abraham and her Egyptian servant Hagar--making fun of Isaac. So she turned to Abraham and demanded, 'Get rid of that servant and her son. He is not going to share the family inheritance with my son, Isaac. I won't have it!'

This upset Abraham very much because Ishmael was his son. But God told Abraham, 'Do not be upset over the boy and your servant wife. Do just as Sarah says, for Isaac is the son through whom your descendants will be counted. But I will make a nation of the descendants of Hagar's son because he also is your son.'

So Abraham got up early the next morning, prepared food for the journey, and strapped a container of water to Hagar's shoulders. He sent her away with their son, and she walked out into the wilderness of Beersheba, wandering aimlessly. When the water was gone, she left the boy in the shade of a bush. Then she went and sat down by herself about a hundred yards away. 'I don't want to watch the boy die,' she said, as she burst into tears.

Then God heard the boy's cries, and the angel of God called to Hagar from the sky, 'Hagar, what's wrong? Do not be afraid! God had heard the boy's cries from the place where you laid him. Go to him and comfort him, for I will make a great nation from his descendants.

Then God opened Hagar's eyes, and she saw a well. She immediately filled her water container and gave the boy a drink. And God was with the boy as he grew up in the wilderness of Paran." (Genesis 21:8-20a)

You are heard, dear one, when you cry out. You are seen when your are all alone, but you are not alone at all because this God who sees and hears, our God, will never leave you nor forsake you (Hebrews 13:5). Be comforted in His presence today.