Day #56 - Seen
The Presence - A Devotional for Living in Thanksgiving, Worship and Wonder
“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.””
Genesis 16:13 NIV
Have you ever felt seen before? In a meaningful way?
What do you think it means to feel seen? Is it to be understood? I’ve been blessed by some friends and mentors in my life that I feel like really get me. They see me. They have seen my best and my worst, but when I feel seen, I feel loved. I know that I am not alone. My wife though, she really sees me. She understands the ups and downs of life that I experience more than anyone else. That level of love and understanding is life changing.
Hagar was the servant woman of Abraham and Sarah. Sarah convinced Abraham to try and fulfill God’s promise to them by having a child with Hagar. She gets pregnant so quickly while Sarah had struggled. What does Hagar get for obeying her masters? Rejection.
Hagar births Ishmael and an ongoing civil war if you will between Ishmael and Isaac occurs because of Abraham’s disobedience that continues to this day. But even in the midst of Abraham’s disobedience and Hagar’s rejection, we see an incredible revelation about who God is.
In our rejection, our sin, our brokenness and shame, God pursues and loves us. God sees us. Brokenness isn’t all that bad if we bring it the Lord because that is the place that he can meet us and reveal himself to us. Hagar has a revelation that she is in the presence of God and that he sees her.
People might reject you but that doesn’t mean that God rejects you. The situations you are forced into or that you participate in willingly do not disqualify you from redemption.
Hagar’s story shows us that when we know that God sees us, then we truly see him. When we are in the presence of the one who sees us and can look right through us, we see him. As our lives are laid open before him we see ourselves and in that place we see him. We can’t even really know who we are unless God shows us.
What love. What kindness for God to come to us in our broken places and let us know that we are seen. Come before the presence of the One who sees you.
Oh God who sees me! There is no one like. In your presence I am seen and I can see myself. But most importantly, its in this place that I see you. Thank you for pursuing me and being so kind to me. I don’t deserve this kind of love. I know you understand me. You know me better than I know myself. Thank you for loving me like you do. I love you Lord. In Jesus name, amen.
Once again I have been greatly touched by something you have written. He is the God that sees me. I was meditating on this portion of scripture early this morning, then l read this. The tears are still flowing. I want to encourage and thank you for writing these. Please keep writing. You are blessing each person who reads these. May God bless you and your family above anything and everything you could ever ask or think.
"We can’t even really know who we are unless God shows us." 💖 Isn't that the truth? Wonderful! He sees what we can't see.