Genesis 16:1-16
“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.”
Hi! It has been a while since my last post, but I have been settling into my new position at Grace Bible Church in Lucas, Ohio. It has been a wonderful experience and I have been blessed beyond measure with the kindnesses of these people. I finally got around to updating my website page. I changed my banner to a picture of a goldfinch. (They are swarming my birdfeeder right now. Didn’t see any of these of TN.) I also got around to changing my address and time zone from Middle Tennessee to Middle Ohio.
It is amazing after a move how many times you have to update and change your address to inform others of the change. There may be many readers of this blog that were not even aware of the change. One thing for sure: My Heavenly Father was aware. And He was there to oversee every step Janine and I took on this pilgrimage northward.
Today’s passage is from Genesis 16. Hagar is fleeing the wrath of Sarai. She is partially wrong… partially wronged. (Aren’t we all at times?) But whatever the degree of fault or innocence… she was genuinely hurting. She stops by a spring in the desert in her effort to escape her situation and “The angel of the Lord” meets her there. Isn’t that like the Lord to meet us at the sight of our own humiliation? That day, she is refreshed by more than the cool water of the spring that day… but by a visitation of the Divine. “You are the God who sees me!” she cries out!
I remember hearing the story of a pastor who was caught in the midst of turmoil in his church. One day when he could not take the pressure and pain any longer, he went into his back yard, waved a handkerchief toward the sky and exclaimed: “God! Did you forget where you put me?” Job in the midst of his affliction once asked: “Why is life given to a man whose way is hidden, whom God has hedged in?” (3:23) Calamity and adversity can cause one to feel invisible… even to the eyes of the Almighty.
I want to take the next few blogs to draw you closer to a spring in the desert. I sincerely hope my words will be a refreshment to your soul as you stop to search for answers and to collect yourself for the rest of your journey. I know that my words will not change any of the circumstances that have brought you to this place. But I want to remind you of the God who sees. Sometimes it is knowing you are not hidden from God that can make all the difference.
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