God Sees You - The Crosswalk Devotional - August 20
God Sees You
By: Hannah Benson
Bible Reading:
““So she called the name of the Lord who spoke to her, “You are a God of seeing,” for she said, “Truly here I have seen him who looks after me.” - Genesis 16:13 (ESV)
Have you ever wondered if God sees you?
Scripture clearly tells us He does, but being a fallible human, sometimes, we may struggle to know this truth deep within our hearts.
Recently, I’ve wrestled with this question. I’ve been praying the same prayer for months and not yet seen a breakthrough. To this day, I don’t know how the Lord will answer. Perhaps it will be a yes. Perhaps it is a no. Perhaps He is speaking and saying not yet. Even if the answer is different than I hope, I trust that His plan is good.
As a result, I’ve found myself spiritually on my knees. Crying out to God.
“Do You hear me?”
“Do You see me?”
“Why won’t You bless me with what I want?”
Later that week, I was at a rehearsal for a show I’m in. For years, I’ve been part of a biblical theater ministry that often feels more like church than a regular drama troupe. Prayer, worship, fellowship, and exercises in hearing the Holy Spirit often occupy our gatherings, especially in the weeks leading up to the performances.
That night, several of us gathered in a room with pencils and strips of paper, listening to worship music and spending time with the Lord. We were encouraged to write notes as the Holy Spirit led, to write words of encouragement to our fellow cast members if God whispered something to our hearts.
I received a note with a message that spoke directly into what I was going through and was exactly what I needed to hear.
“God sees you. He knows.”
Inside, I wept.
The person who wrote the note had never heard the deepest prayers of my heart—those were between God and I. But God had impressed on her heart exactly what I needed to hear.
Instantly, God reminded me of Hagar’s story in the Bible. When she’d been exiled from her home and she wandered in the wilderness, God revealed Himself to her. With joy, she exclaimed: “You are a God of seeing!” aptly calling Him “El Roi,” “the God Who sees me.”
I also remembered Hannah’s story.
When she cried out to God, her heart and arms empty and barren, her prayers weren’t in vain. He heard her, and He knew the desires of her heart.
No matter what happens, I am reminded that God sees me, and He knows the desires of my heart.
Intersecting Faith & Life:
God speaks in the whispers, in the wind, sometimes in the quiet subtle moments in life that we may not even realize it’s the Lord speaking.
In this particular case, He used a friend of mine who followed the prompting of the Holy Spirit and may not have even realized the significance of her obedience in that moment. She didn’t “need” to write that note.
What if she’d said “No”? What if she’d thought the prompting crazy and ignored the nudge?
God is sovereign and certainly could’ve spoken to me in other ways, yes. After all, the most important way we hear from God is through His Word.
But I for one am so thankful my friend followed the prompting of the Holy Spirit.
Let this be an encouragement to you today: obey the voice of the Lord. If God calls you to encourage someone, do it because you never know the impact your obedience may have on their life.
It might even sound crazy. Maybe it doesn’t make sense, but honestly, if it’s a word of encouragement, you can hardly go wrong.
How might God want you to encourage someone today?
Please note: Any word we receive should be tested against Scripture to ensure it aligns with God’s truth. Promptings should never contradict God’s Word, and wise counsel can help us discern them.
Dear Father God, thank You for these reminders that You see me. You know me, and You know the desires of my heart. Please help me to be brave and share the love of Jesus with others around me. Please help me to make it a daily habit of encouraging others, even if it sounds crazy or strange to me at times. Thank You for Your love, for Your Word, and the way You also use others in my life to speak to me as well. Please help me to be that person for someone else. In Jesus’s Name, Amen.
Photo Credit: ©Getty-AntonioGuillem
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