The One Who Sees

This is for the one who feels forgotten. The girl staring at her screen, her heart beginning to pound, thinking — You can’t possibly mean ME!

That’s right: I’m writing to you.

You, the one feeling the weight of the world on your shoulders. Feeling used up and cast aside. Feeling worthless, hopeless, or just plain tired. Tired of getting your hopes up, only to watch them come crashing down for the umpteenth time. Tired of feeling passed over, while others seem to get ahead. Tired of trying to put a brave face on things, when what you really want to do is curl up in a corner and cry …

Maybe life hasn’t turned out the way you wanted. Or maybe you got everything you thought you wanted, but found out it wasn’t all that grand. Your to-do list keeps growing longer, your temper growing shorter, and no matter which way you turn, you just feel trapped.

I hear you, Sister. I’ve felt this way, more than once. And what makes it even worse is all the shoulds I start piling on myself once I get there:

I should be thankful! Look at all the amazing blessings in my life …

I should be praising God for my salvation, for His faithfulness. I shouldn’t be feeling this way …

I should know how to get out of this; I’ve been here so many times before …

Now, I’d be the last one to tell you that feelings are neutral, or that you can’t help the way you feel; both of those sentiments are absolutely untrue. I know, though, that when you’re sitting there at the bottom of that heap, it all feels so very true. So here’s what I will say: feelings can lie. And we have a very real enemy who is an expert at manipulating them. His mission is to drive us into the ground beneath his feet, and so very often … we let him.

Let me guess: you’re feeling a tad bit defensive right now. Sure, tell me it’s MY fault! Act like you’re going to sympathize, and then hit me when I’m down. That’s just cruel!

I’m not a mind reader, it’s just that I’ve been here before. I’ve been crushed under these very same weights. The enemy isn’t creative, he can only mimic and twist the works of God. And when he finds something that works, he sticks with it. He loves to shame, to accuse, to get us to play the victim card. If he can get us navel gazing, obsessed with our own smallness, he’s pretty much succeeded at taking us out of the game. But once we start to recognize what he’s up to, we’re that much closer to finding freedom.

It won’t be easy — the enemy hates to see God’s people set free! — but it is possible. Even better, it’s promised. Paul said it very clearly: “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free.” But he didn’t stop there; this promise comes with a warning: “Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery,” (Galatians 5:1). Once we taste freedom, we need to maintain it, or it can be snatched away in a moment. Now, I’m not speaking of salvation here; otherwise, it would be a pretty weak thing. Here’s what I am talking about: our peace, our joy, our confidence in Jesus … all of that comes under attack when we are not standing firm.

How do I stand firm when I’m feeling like this?! you might be asking. I’m at the weakest point I could possibly be!

That’s unbelievably good news, Friend! And here’s why. God has promised to be strong in our weakness; His GRACE is sufficient for us … read, all we need (see 2 Cor. 12:9). My lowest point is where I come face to face with Truth: I cannot save myself. I cannot dig my way out of this hole I’ve fallen into, I can’t pick myself up by my bootstraps, I can’t put a happy face on things, I’m just … done.

And then … God has the chance to be God.

Finally! He says to the angels, She’s come to the end of her own self-sufficiency. Miss Independent is at last ready to invite Me into her mess. I can’t WAIT to show her what I can do in her now!

(At least, that’s how I picture it!)

There’s something so glorious about a spent soul, collapsed at the foot of the cross. Because once the stubborn flesh — the striving, rebellious, self-satisfied soul — has died, it’s time for a rebirth!

You’ve been feeling forgotten, abandoned, cast aside … Let me ask you this: What do you know of the character of God? Is it HIS voice speaking this to you? And if not, do you really want to keep listening?!?

I wonder if you remember Hagar. If anyone had a right to these sorts of feelings, it could have been her. She was a slave in the household of Abraham, the one foreigner among the family of chosen people. She was mistreated, molested, and completely disregarded by the household of faith. Finally, Hagar decided she’d had enough. Pregnant and alone, she took off into the desert to escape her cruel circumstances. It’s not hard to imagine her desolation causing her to despair of life itself. (Find Hagar’s story in Genesis 16).

But God had not forgotten Hagar. How do we know? She tells us herself. Hagar encounters God in the wilderness, in the form of the Angel of the Lord (a term often thought to refer to Jesus Himself, in the presence He had before being born on the earth). He speaks to her of the son she will bear and encourages her to return, for her role is not yet complete. Now, here’s the part I love:  “She gave this name to the Lord who spoke to her: ‘You are the God who sees me,’” (Gen. 16:13).

Hagar, the foreign slave woman — her very identity marking her as the lowest of the low in that culture — gave a name to God. Who else do we see doing that in Scripture? Usually, it is God telling people who He is, not the other way around. But Hagar, who must have felt forgotten in every other circumstance in her life, somehow landed on a precious nugget of Truth that would sustain her for the rest of her days: God sees me!

Beloved sister, I don’t know what you’re facing today. I don’t know what wilderness you’re wandering in, or what weighty load you’ve been asked to bear. But I do know this: God sees you. You are not alone, not abandoned, not forgotten. You are infinitely precious to Him, of utmost worth, a treasure beyond compare. You are His daughter, and no matter how far you’ve run, His arms are open to welcome you home.

How do I know this? Because this is the God we serve. This is His character, His Father-heart. I could list Scripture after Scripture to support my claims, and gladly will, if you ask. But I’m not sure it’s your head that needs convincing, nor are you looking for proof from me.

So I’m simply going to encourage you to go to the Source. Ask the Lord to reveal Himself to you, as He did to the suffering Hagar, generations ago. Open your heart to receive the Truth of His promises, and the assurance of His presence. Our Father loves you so much, He is waiting to show Himself to you, longing for your invitation. Whatever you are going through right now, He sees you. And His heart’s desire is to set you free to love and be loved, in restored relationship with Himself.

Lift up your eyes, dear heart: The Living One SEES you!