There have been so many times in my life where I have thought to myself; God isn't paying any attention to me. He doesn't care what I do down here on this inconsequential planet in the middle of the huge universe He controls.
There have been so many times in my life where I have thought to myself; God isn't paying any attention to me. He doesn't care what I do down here on this inconsequential planet in the middle of the huge universe He controls. He might be able to see me, but He doesn't really care to look down on me. Have you ever felt like that?
This week I was reading In Genesis 16, and I came across the story of Abraham's mistress Hagar being treated harshly by Sarai because of her jealousy. Hagar has an encounter with God. After God spoke to her and comforted her with His promises, she called Him "the God who sees me." As I read those words this week, I was struck by the profound nature of what she said. We have a God in heaven who does see us. Not only does He see us, but He looks down on us and says, "I love you."
This God who sees me, witnesses all my struggles and "victories." He sees all the times that I fall short of His perfect standard. He even sees my terrible thoughts. Despite seeing me for who I really am, a train wreck of a person, He still sees me and wants to see me. We have a God who wanted to see each and every one of us despite the fact we screw up. We have a God who wanted to ensure we would spend eternity with Him.
God’s mission is to redeem and restore all things to His Kingdom. God sees. God remembers. When God sees and remembers, He acts on behalf of those He loves. God saw and remembered His promise in the Garden to send the one who would be victorious through His wounds. He remembered His promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob of making their families a great nation through whom all the world would be blessed. He remembered His covenant with Israel to be Merciful to them above all else. God saw, God remembered, and God acted.
Our God became a man. God became flesh and lived tabernacled us. Jesus, our God in the flesh, lived perfectly because we cannot. Jesus faced temptation and overcame it because we cannot. Jesus worked out our perfect standing before God because we cannot. Jesus sacrificed Himself because our sacrifices are worthless in making us right with God. Jesus rose again from the dead because Death is the enemy. Death was not a part of God's plan. Jesus guaranteed that we would live forever with Him.
Jesus conquered sin, death, and the devil so He could look at you and see you. See you for who He has made you to be. God sees you as He sees Christ. "You're perfect because I'm perfect. You'll spend eternity with me because I love you and want you there. You don't have to try and work to make God love you because I already love you." God sees you, and He says - "I love you forever."
