God Sees

What is the Matter?

restoreroflostvoices

God heard the lad crying; and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven and said to her, “What is the matter with you, Hagar? Do not fear, for God has heard the voice of the lad where he is. Arise, lift up the lad, and hold him by the hand, for I will make a great nation of him.” Then God opened her eyes and she saw a well of water; and she went and filled the skin with water and gave the lad a drink. Genesis 21: 17- 19 NASB

The angel of God found Hagar in the wilderness, engaged her heart, and sent her home.

     However, tensions grew between Sarai and Hagar until Abraham sent Hagar and her son away with a measly sack of bread and water. She wandered in the desert till the lad cried, and she was weary, parched, and feared dying. A second time, the angel of the Lord called to her, “What is the matter with you, Hagar?”

     At this point, I may have been as speechless as David in Psalm 39 when he couldn’t say a word, good or bad. Surely, God saw Hagar’s pain and misery; and she’d obeyed His commands! Nevertheless, her circumstances hadn’t changed. It’s understandable if she had feelings of rejection, betrayal, fear, desperation, powerlessness, loneliness, and anger. It would be difficult to return to a mean and demanding employer, even more so, a husband who was old enough to be her father. Hagar had nothing left to sustain her or her child. She was desperate; but God heard the child’s cries and reassured her, “Do not fear . . . for I will make a great nation of Ishmael.”

     Then God opened Hagar’s eyes; there was a well nearby; and He’d never left her side!

     What if the King of the universe was to ask you, “What is the matter with you?” How would you respond? Pour out your heart to Him. It doesn’t have to sound sweet or agreeable or correct. He doesn’t want religious rhetoric and rehearsals, formal cushions, or pretty-painted pretense. Instead, He wants our raw, unfiltered emotions. Even though He is El-Roi, the God who sees all; He also wants to hear it all—from start to finish.

     God commanded Hagar to rise—to stand and lift up her child, take him by the hand, and lead. What duty, charge, relationship, ministry, or church effort is God calling you to take hold of? Stand in God’s confidence, unafraid and secure in His love, care, provision, and protection. Despair, weakness, and powerlessness make room for Him to work His will and way. He begins here. Like Hagar, He will grant us new strength, purpose, and perspective.

 Today, pour your heart out to the Lord. He is the God who sees and hears you.

Be blessed,

Lily Mae

God was with the lad, and he grew; and he lived in the wilderness and became an archer. Genesis 21:20 NASB

El Roi: God Sees

restoreroflostvoices

 I was mute and silent, I refrained even from good, and my sorrow grew worse.
And now, Lord, for what do I wait? My hope is in You. Psalm 39: 2, 7 NASB

 

     David, a mighty warrior, laments his sin. He is a squatter before a holy God. His heart is heavy . . . feelings and thoughts blaze; he guards his tongue, even though he has no words, good or bad. Silence doesn’t ease his pain. His only hope is to pour out his sorrow to the one who grants breath. Therefore, David cries out, “Turn your gaze from me that I may smile again!”

     David wasn’t the first to struggle with despair, nor will he be the last! 

     The Lord took note of Sarai’s barrenness and recalled His promise to her; and she became pregnant at an age most woman rock to their past lullabies and put themselves to sleep. Still, God’s blessing wasn’t enough to quench Sarai’s jealousy, and she turned on her slave. Hagar fled her abusive mistress, but the angel of the Lord found her in the desert and commanded her to return and submit to her authority. The angel of the Lord blessed Hagar and promised to multiply her descendants through a son named Ishmael. 

     Ishmael means “God hears!” Hagar was reminded daily of Truth when she called her son by name. 

     A mighty, fallen warrior and a rejected slave lifted up their voices and wept; and God heard them.   

     The Psalms are full of examples of God responding to David’s cries for help and deliverance. In Psalm 3, when David cried out, God answered from His holy mountain, and David lay down unafraid and slept.

God addressed Hagar, “Where have you come from, and where are you going?” Tell me about it! Hagar called the Lord “El Roi,” for He is a strong God who sees all. However, God not only saw her troubles, He wanted her to pour out her heart and misery to Him. And God desires the same of us! 

     There are days and weeks and winters where grief smacks us voiceless and motionless, and we cannot see past the briars and branches to the well of refreshment that God provides. However, He is unafraid of our emotions, the fleeing, flailing, fisting and dead-weight of defeat. And He invites us to draw near to Him.

Whatever you face today, whether you’re the fallen fighter, weary parent, or oppressed worker, God sees. And He longs for you to speak with Him. Choose intimacy. Be blessed!

Trusting in Jesus,

Lily Mae       

So Sarai treated her harshly and she fled from her presence. Now the angel of the Lord found her by a spring of water in the wilderness . . . and He said, “Hagar, Sarai’s maid, where have you come from and where are you going?” And she said, “I am fleeing from the presence of my mistress Sarai.” Genesis 16: 6-8 NASB