Let’s talk about being KNOWN TO GOD

Do you ever feel invisible? These days, given our social distancing rules, that can be even more of a struggle for some. Develop a chronic or disabling illness and many people will steer clear of you. Have a struggle with mental illness and even your family might stop calling. Have a child with profound disability and people will start to look past you, unsure of what to say. Lose your money or your job and, in the eyes of many, you will quickly become a number, a case, not a person. More than one elderly person has told me how they feel like living ghosts, forgotten by the world.

The worst, however, is feeling as though God has forgotten us. That’s a real issue as this crisis drags on. There nothing wrong with you if your heart cries for solace, if you are feeling alone, perhaps even forgotten. David, the poet/king who knew God so well, cried "O Lord, how long will you forget me? Forever? How long will you look the other way?" (Psalm 13:1, NLT) You are not forgotten! You may feel as though you are. The enemy of God and good will dance on that theme, for nothing serves his purposes any better than increasing your sense of isolation, which is fertile soil in which fear and despair can grow.

In Genesis we meet a young woman named Hagar. She was an Egyptian slave girl to Abraham’s wife, Sarah. When Sarah thought she was too old to have a child, she gave her servant girl to Abraham to be a surrogate. How awful was that, though not uncommon in that era. After becoming pregnant with Abraham's child, Hagar offended Sarah. Was it Sarah’s jealousy? Was it Hagar’s mistaken assumption that she was secure since she was carrying Abe’s baby? Whatever the cause, she found herself thrown out of the household. 

Abraham abandoned her and left her deal with the abuse of Sarah. In time, she choose to run away, a choice of sheer desperation, knowing that she would almost certainly be enslaved yet again. Sitting alone and afraid by a spring, she met God who spoke to her heart with promise! Amazed that the Lord would take note of a slave girl, Hagar gave God a Name - El Roi- meaning, "The God who sees me."  (Genesis 16) She found courage in that to return to her situation and work through it, hard as it was.

My prayer for you today is that you will realize that no matter your status, your troubles, your challenges – YOU are not invisible to God!  I pray that you will know Him as “El Roi” - the God who see me! When we know that God cares, it may not immediately change our situation, but it changes us. In Him we discover worth, dignity, and resources that allow us to press ahead.

If you are feeling invisible, consider how personally God knows you. Jesus says "Not even a sparrow, worth only half a penny, can fall to the ground without your Father knowing it. And the very hairs on your head are all numbered. So don't be afraid; you are more valuable to him than a whole flock of sparrows.” (Matthew 10:29-32, NLT)

Our word from the Word is a comfort. Meditate on it for a while today.
"Praise the Lord! Happy are those who fear the Lord. Yes, happy are those who delight in doing what he commands…
When darkness overtakes the godly, light will come bursting in. They are generous, compassionate, and righteous …
They do not fear bad news; they confidently trust the Lord to care for them.
They are confident and fearless and can face their foes triumphantly" (Psalm 112:1,4,7-8, NLT)

Look up and wait for El Roi - the God who sees me!

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The Blessing

(take a few moments to soak your soul in this song)

The Lord bless you and keep you

Make his face shine upon you

And be gracious to you

The Lord turn his Face toward you

And give you peace

Amen

May his favor

Be upon you

And a thousand generations

And your family

And your children

And their children

And their children

May his presence

Go before you and behind you

And beside you

All around you and within you

He is with you, He is with you

In the morning

In the evening

In your coming and your going

In your weeping and rejoicing

He is for you, He is for you

Chris Brown | Cody Carnes | Kari Jobe | Steven Furtick

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