Monday, October 19, 2026

            In Genesis 16, we read the story about Hagar and Ishmael.  At the end of her rope and basically all hope, Hagar takes comfort in learning that the God of Abraham has seen her.  The Bible says, “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).  To know that God sees you or me should be an incredible comfort and strength to us. On a planet of billions of people, the Lord sees you or me.  He knows us.  And, in spite of our sinfulness and giving Him every reason to be rid of us, He loves us.  He demonstrated His love for us in this way—while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8).  But back to the reality that God sees us.  To see something is to take note of it—to record a mental impression of what it is and what it means.
            While flying back from Europe yesterday, I had a chance to watch the movie “The Great Awakening.”  This movie tells the story of the enduring friendship shared by Benjamin Franklin and the great evangelist George Whitfield.  Whitfield suffered from an eye condition that left him open to ridicule, humiliation and shaming by others.  It was through the kindness and Christlikeness of John and Charles Wesley that Whitfield came to know the love and goodness of God and to surrender His life to faith in Christ.  Yet, this enduring problem with his left eye was used by God for good and for the gospel.  Whitfield developed a penchant for telling others, especially those easily overlooked and missed by others, that God saw them.  He shared this simple message with prisoners, slaves, the working-class poor and the masses both in Great Britain and the American colonies.
            Sharing the simple message “God sees you” opened the way for many, many people to hear and receive the saving gospel message of Jesus.  Whitfield’s open-air preaching led to a movement that church historians have called “the great awakening.”  It remains both compelling and comforting to know that God sees us—at home, in our distress, in a hospital, taking our final breaths or as we struggle with the demands of work and family.  God sees us at our worst and still He loves us.  God not only sees us, He also walks with us through the circumstances we face.  Nothing about this world is perfect and it never will be.  Sin has stained and seeped into every corner and crevice of this world. Perfection awaits in eternity. Yet, God sees us still.  Indeed, the gospel message is that God became like us in the birth of His Son Jesus—the very Christmas message that we will celebrate and embrace in just a little more than two months.
            Strengthen your faith today with three words that point to one great truth—God sees me!  Take time to see God today as you read His Word, speak with Him in prayer, praise Him for His blessings and worship Him along with other believers.  To remember that God sees you, remember the great stories of the Bible.  God saw the Old Testament Joseph in the suffering and injustice of his Egyptian prison cell.  God saw a future king when he saw a shepherd-boy named David all alone tending his sheep. God saw Daniel in the lions’ den and the three boys in the fiery furnace who would not bow to an idol. God saw Ruth as a young widow with no other way to eat but to glean the leftovers of the field alongside the rest of the poor and needy.  Adam and Eve could not hide from God after they defied Him and sinned against Him by eating the forbidden fruit.  God saw them.  God’s eyesight is perfect—never once does He miss a detail or falter.  He sees it all and that means He sees you too.  Have a great Monday!