Showing posts with label the God who sees. Show all posts
Showing posts with label the God who sees. Show all posts

Heart or Emotions?


I continue my quest to read the Bible through this year and in my reading, I’ve come across a common thread. It’s funny how we see different things in familiar passages, even though we’ve read them many times before. I’m supposing that is because as Hebrews 4:12 says, the Word of God is living and powerful, it’s sharper than a two-edged sword, dividing between the soul and the spirit. That’s intense. Even though I’ve had that verse memorized for years, taught it in many classes, and read it who knows how many times, it still reverberates through me. God’s word is alive. That blows my mind – yet I feel it when I read the word and sense it brings changes inside me as I yield my will to His.

The other part of that verse that sticks out to me today is the diving asunder of soul and spirit. Now, that’s the Old King James because that’s how I memorized it! But think about that a second. God (and His word) can tell the difference between our spirit-man and our soul. God knows the difference between our spirit and our emotions – and He sees when we are on emotional overload, which is often a state caregivers live in. I know I do! Lol

This morning, as I was reading the story of Jakob and Rachel, I found that phrase again – God saw. This time it was coming from Jakob, who is declaring that God saw the mistreatment he endured under Laban. Genesis 31:12 God tells Jakob I have seen all that Laban is doing to you. He then declares to Laban in verse 42 of the next chapter – God has seen my affliction.  By then, he and all his family and flocks are headed out.

This reminded me of the recent reading of the story of Hagar and how she realized that God saw the afflictions she was enduring. And even on up into Exodus 3, verse 7, God says I have seen the oppression of my people who are in Egypt, and I’ve heard their cry. God’s word is able to miraculously discern between the deep faith-filled cry of our heart toward Him – and the emotional response to the difficulty of our situation. When He sees us – He sees both. He sees the hard stuff we face day after day. He sees when we cry and no one knows. He hears our heart crying out for His strength to carry us through each moment.

Now the interesting thing to me in all three of these accounts was that each of them had to move. Hagar moved out of Abraham’s house and God established her and Ishmael. Jakob moved on from the experience with Laban. And the Children of Israel were rescued from the oppressive grip of Pharaoh.

God saw – but it also took action on each of their parts to be free. For us as caregivers, we may not physically move (thank God!). But we can take action the first one being to trust Him for this day. Trust He sees us. Trust He hears us. Trust He is walking this journey with us. And the cool thing is He knows that His Spirit can discern between the outcry of our hearts and our complete trust of Him. They are not opposites; they go hand in hand.

Today, I will purposefully take time to acknowledge and meditate on the truth that He sees me right where I am. I’ll be thankful that He hears my heart cry whether it is audible or silent. My soul takes rest in that recognition – that He hears and sees me. I’ll try to stay in that restive mode today – will you join me?

Who Sees Me?

I've been thinking about Hagar all day today; there's something stuck in my mind about the situation she found herself in. Genesis 16 tells us about how Sarah gave Hagar, her maid to Abram to bring forth a child. But when Hagar found out that she was indeed with child, she treated Sarah with "contempt" and found herself looking for a place to live! There are many details to this story - just like each one of us has our own unique details about how we ended up in the wilderness of life trying to survive. For Hagar, she made some obvious mistakes - for many of us who live in the furnace it was not mistakes that ended us up in the furnace. The furnace is hot no matter how we ended up there!

Verse 11 may be the verse that sticks out to some of us as it says: for the Lord has heard about your misery. I suppose that it can be a good thing for the Lord to be aware of what is going on in our lives. But what stood out to me today is in verse 14: the God who sees me.There just seems to be something a little more personal about Him seeing me than just hearing about  me. It means He is attentive and watching; it's more active and not so much passive. He sees me.

No matter how hot the furnace, how difficult the struggle gets, or how long or dark the night...He sees me. For some reason today I just feel like I need God to see me; to walk with me and hold me. It is comforting to know that He does not look away just because the picture gets ugly.

It is interesting to me that Hagar called the place, "well of the living One who sees me;" and God called the name of her child Ishmael which means, "God hears." Today I will meditate on the truth that God is first the living God; and secondly on the truth that He does indeed see and hear my heart. As furnace walkers, let us take comfort in these truths today. 

The God Who Sees

It is difficult to understand the life of caregiving unless you are a caregiver. And even then, each situation is so very unique we do not always have the capacity to understand each others' situations. Sometimes it hurts most when those we think are supposed to care do not seem to. That can be family, friends or health care professionals. It's really frustrating when they don't get it. You know?

Sometimes one of the most frustrating things about caregiving is the inability to have a schedule. We can keep a shell of one, but it seems there's always something that comes along to disrupt it. Our loved one has a bad day, aides don't show up, nurses decide to come during the only time you were going to have to yourself for the week....yes that really happened! And the load becomes heavier...not even because of the caregiving itself, but because of all the baggage that comes along with caregiving.

This morning has been one of those mornings for me; made up of those situations that make the regular load just a little bit heavier. But my mind went to Hagar. She's not usually one of our favorites by any means even though the situation was not totally her fault. In Genesis 16 she bears some of the blame since she was taunting Sarah. I suppose I found it comforting that God met her where she was even though she was not perfect. Most of us did nothing wrong to end up in a caregiving situation, so I guess it makes the possibility of God seeking us out more likely! lol.

Hagar was distraught and had run away from her mistress who was treating her harshly.  She was pregnant (thank God that's not a factor!), being treated badly because she mouthed off, and was stuck out in the desert with no one to see after her. But God found her. It's not the encounter I want to focus on though, it's what she said afterwards. In Genesis 16:13 Hagar said, the God Who sees me."  She existed to God and that mattered.

Today I will meditate on the fact that I am not out here alone. That God does indeed see me; that will carry me through this day. He sees me...

The Stare

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