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By Georgina Buchanan
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It's a fabulous fall morning, and if you've seen any of my video blogs, you know that it is my habit to take my little Min Pin dog, Ginger with me as we take our prayer walk each morning. Today we saw many of the same things we see every day. The water flowing in the creek, the ducks on the pond, the squirrels in the trees, and the birds welcoming the day with their singing. It is so enjoyable to see the creations of our heavenly Father.However, today I became aware of something different. All though it was the same path taken almost every day, today I saw things not noticed before. We both noticed many places where dogs and other animals had left their mark, if you know what I mean, and nobody had bothered to clean it up. We saw places where weeds and Bermuda grass had encroached onto the pathways where we walked destroying the clean, sharp edges which had originally made the pathway distinct, and were areas where there had been grass, but now instead of the grass was just some weeds and dry dirt. An ugly scar in the beautiful grassy area along the pathway.
Now why did I go from the beautiful things I was seeing, to the ugly smear that had encroached upon the beauty? Why, because we all know that things happen in life over which we do not have control. The grass didn't have control over what was done to it by outside forces. The pathway had no control over the grass as it encroached into its space, and of course the only controlling factor over what the animals did, where their owners, who seemingly took no thought about what their animals were doing. To the nature of the park, this became a hopeless situation.
I am sure that there are some of you reading this right now who are saying, "yep, that's just the way I feel, stuff happens." You feel like it's happened to you too much, too consistent, and without any hope of rescue. The nature of the fallen man is filled with these trials and more. But, there is hope! I'm here to tell you there is hope because there's someone who sees you, who cares about you, and has a plan of good for you. (Jeremiah 29:11)
A Connection Made in the Desert
Genesis 16 tells us the story of Abram and Sarai's desire to help God fulfill his promise of giving them a child, Sarai presented her maidservant Hagar to be the surrogate, but when she became pregnant, the emotions of both women were tested. Sadly, Abram did not go to God to ask for an answer, he just said to his wife, "she's your servant, you do whatever you think is best. The 6th verse says "And when Sarai dealt harshly with her, she (Hagar) fled from her presence."
Here we see an example of things happening that Hagar had no control over, and not knowing what to do she ran away. You see, even though she was in the house of her master Abram who knew God, she knew of him, but didn't know him.
There was no relationship with the one who had the answers. However, as she headed out across the desert toward her homeland Egypt, despondent, fearful, and without hope, I believe from what we read that her spirit cried out to the God of her master.
Genesis 16:7-13 gives us a great narrative of what happened next. The Angel of the Lord found her by a spring in the desert, the Angel asked her, why are you here? what are you doing? Then he said to her, "it's going to be ok", and gave her directions to follow, and then told her what God was going to do with her yet unborn son Ishmael. The angel said this is "Because the LORD has heard your affliction." (Gen 16:11-NKJV)
Gen 16:13 (NKJV) gives us the theme for this article, "Then she called the name of the Lord who spoke to her, You-Are-the-God-Who-Sees; for she said, 'Have I also here seen Him who sees me?'" Now Hagar, who was from Egypt knew only the names of Egyptian gods, but now she had just seen the LORD, and in Hebrew, the name she called out is "Jehovah El Roi, so her calling out that name, it was like she had a revelation of the one true God who saw her in need.
He Sees and Understands even if We Don't
That my friend, is the word for you today, God sees and hears your affliction. Not only does He hear your cries, but He sees what you are crying about even before you cry. In Psalms 139:4 (NIV) the psalmist says of Jehovah El Roi, "Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O LORD."
The Omniscience of God is beyond our understanding. Dictionary.com define this word as an adjective; with the meaning to be "having complete or unlimited knowledge, awareness, or understanding; perceiving all things." Many of the online dictionaries I viewed would have close to the same wording and then the second or third definition would just be: the Omniscient, God.
Hagar said it simply, "You-Are-the-God-Who-Sees" (Gen 16:13 NKJV) However, for further understanding, I would encourage you to go to your search engine, like Google, Yahoo, or Bing, and just type in "Omniscience of God." There are many scriptures that give us a better revelation of this facet of God's awesome characteristics.
One of my favorites is, Hebrews 4:13 (NIV) "Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account."
There it is again, when the scripture says "whom we must give account", it is the principle of relationship again, we are not alone. Our relationship with God, it's so important because without it we will feel like Hagar; alone, without hope, desperate, and feeling discouraged. But the truth is we can know we are not alone. Many of the writers of scripture have been led by the Spirit to give us promises like we find in Psalm 44:21 (NLV) "God would surely have known it, for he knows the secrets of every heart."
Isaiah in his writing of Isaiah 40:28 (NASU) says, "Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the Earth does not become weary or tired. his understanding is inscrutable."
Dictionary.com describes inscrutable as "incapable of being investigated, analyzed, or scrutinized, impenetrable. In other words, we don't have to understand everything that happens, it is impossible with our human mind, there is no way we can understand him or what he does. We just must receive, and then acknowledge that Jehovah El Roi, sees us in our time of need and he is there for us.
We, like Hagar, must understand that he is, "the-God-Who-Sees" and that he cares about us personally and individually, as well as all mankind, corporately. I remember a song we used to sing from the old hymnal in church, maybe you do too, it goes,
"Count your many blessings,
Name them one by one,
Count your many blessings,
See what God has done…"
Hagar could not sing a song like that, however, when she realized the power in the promise of the word from the Angel of the LORD, and called him, Jehovah El Roi, "You-Are-the-God-Who-Sees," I believe that was her way of proclaiming "I receive the promised blessings!" I also believe that even though we never hear about her life after she and Ishmael were sent on their way by Abraham (Gen 21:14-21) I'm sure she "counted her blessing" many times to Jehovah El Roi.
Isaiah, writing in Isaiah 43:26, is quoting God, "Put me in remembrance," who is telling us "remind me of all the good things that I've done for you". It's not that God forgets, but we do, and when we bring them before him as an offering of praise, it stirs up an encouraging endorphin of hope within us, and I believe it makes God smile.
Like exercising muscles in the body, counting your blessings exercises your spirit of praise, and takes you from a place of hopelessness and despondency, to that place in him where you know he sees, and he cares about you. Then your walk is victorious, and when things like weeds and wild grass creep into your path you can step over them, sweep them out of the way, or speak the word of God over it. Then that powerful word of remembrance or reading of fresh scripture over the "trial, or the weeds" that word will be like a poison to the weed, because you are speaking the words of life from the Father and the hope that is found in Isaiah 55:9-13(NIV)
Specifically, verse 11, "so shall my word be that goes forth out of my mouth it shall not return unto me empty, but will accomplish that which I desire and will achieve the purpose for which I sent it." Jehovah El Roi will never leave you alone.
So when family issues, emotional or physical turmoil, and even the ever-present financial needs, seemingly fill your life. You are not alone, even if you feel that way, it's like you're in a desert, pregnant with worry and fear, and there is no answer in sight. Just like Hagar.
Yet, unlike Hagar, you have the knowledge, and I hope you already have a relationship with Jehovah Roi, the-God-Who-Sees you, hears you, and has a good and beautiful plan for the pathways and grassy yards of your life.
Hope is on the Way
Let's look at a favorite scripture of many people, Jeremiah 29:11-14. Now this was written to the children of Israel who had been carried off to Babylon as slaves, and God sent them this letter of hope, which many people in this season of time also find brings comfort in time of need.
"For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope."
However, just like the accounts in Genesis and Isaiah, God will be there for us however, He has a qualifying condition that we must fulfill for his promises come to pass. Read verses 12 & 13.
"Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for me with all your heart."
And then after we do these simple and clear actions, God comes through for us.
Verse 14 says; "I will be found by you, says the LORD, and I will bring you back from your captivity;"
Just like Hagar, each one of us while being surrounded by troubles, trials and fear filled doubts, can find that peace, guidance and faith filled hope by calling out to Jehovah El Roi. We can know that he is, "the-God-Who-Sees," and he will never take his eyes off you.
Keith Buchanan
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