Lesson Four ~ A Psalm to the God Who Sees Me

FACE TO FACE

I CANNOT SPEAK

I CANNOT BREATHE

I CANNOT MOVE

I CANNOT THINK

I CAN ONLY LOOK AT YOU

YOUR FACE
YOUR EYES
YOUR SMILE...

Your eyes have been on me every second of my life. Your eyes saw me before I was born.

Your eyes have watched me as you have drawn me to yourself. 

Your eyes have seen me at my worst and at my best.

Your eyes have studied and examined me.

Your eyes have searched the entire earth to be there for me, because my heart was turned toward you.

Your eyes have led me as my Shepherd, to rivers of living water and the bread of life.

Your eyes have been on me while you instructed and commanded me.

There has never been one moment that you have not beheld me with your eyes...The eyes of God that see and know everything.

And now... here I stand, looking into your eyes.

They penetrate into my eyes and go right into me.

I can think now, but only of you and your abundant, powerful love that comes pouring through your eyes into the very center of my being.

Your thoughts are now clearly placed into me. I am completely united with you. Your presence fills me to overflowing. I breathe you in as air. You are totally sustaining me.

We embrace each other – a bride united with her bridegroom...Something that we have both anticipated – knowing this moment would finally arrive and be the beginning of an eternal adventure.

A holy kiss mixed with my tears and your radiant, comforting smile. I will not close my eyes…Is this too good to be true?

Your face remains before me as I realize by your smile that I am your beloved.

You understand and love me uniquely and completely.

I am at incomprehensible peace and my joy is full. My long-awaited desire is finally realized, and it will last forever. There is no end to the future. The here and now will be forever. There is no limit to the love, joy and peace that is finally here and yet to come.

I am in you and you are in me. I knew this would be indescribably amazing, but there was no way to really know until now.

To be free from sin, worry and fear.

It is glorious!

I know your love completely. I am able to fully convey my love for you. It blesses you. It delights you. It amazes and fulfills me.

Your smile becomes my smile.

As we walk together, facing each other and holding hands tightly, we speak precious words to each other. 

Oh, the mystery of what we will say keeps me burning for that day!

Until then, I hear you – I am your sheep – I follow and obey you alone – as I am more and more aware of you guiding me with your eyes of unfailing love, mercy and grace. 

I know you see me looking to you – the author and finisher of my faith.

My eyes are on you LORD, My eyes are on you!

Next Blog

El Shaddai, Almighty God, The God Who Is More Than Enough!

Lesson Five ~ El Shaddai, Almighty God, Part One

ALMIGHTY GOD, THE GOD WHO IS MORE THAN ENOUGH

Definition:

El Shaddai – El, the singular form of Elohim, means the ‘Strong One.’ Shaddai (#7706) is literally all-sufficient or self-sufficient, and is rendered ‘Almighty.’ This name also suggests the ‘plural of majesty.’ Shaddai comes from the Hebrew word ‘shad,’ meaning breast, or the many-breasted one, signifying nourishment, productiveness and supply.  It means ‘the breasted one’ ‘the strong nourisher,’ ‘strength-giver,’ ‘satisfier,’  ‘all-bountiful’, ‘unlimited,’ ‘the supplier of the needs of his people,’ and the ‘pourer or shedder forth of blessings.’ It is also derived from the word field – as the fields produce abundance. The Hebrew root word ‘shadad,’ means to overpower or destroy.

El Shaddai may be literally translated, ‘God the Mountain One.’ Like the mountains themselves, God is seen as strong and unchanging. El Shaddai reveals God not only as the one who creates and maintains the universe, but who initiates and maintains a covenant with his people. (Praying the Names of God, p. 42, Ann Spangler.)

 

The name “El Shaddai” is mainly associated with the "Covenant of Circumcision" and the miraculous birth of Isaac, which God had promised in His covenant with Abraham and Sarah.

Foundation Scripture:  "When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to him and said, “I am God Almighty (El Shaddai); walk before me and be blameless (or perfect.) I will confirm my covenant between me and you and will greatly increase your numbers." Genesis 17:1-2

The Covenant of Circumcision and Summary of Genesis 17 and Genesis 18:1-15

As part of the eternal covenant with Abram, The LORD changed Abram and Sarai's names. Abram, "Exalted Father," became Abraham, "Father of many nations." Sarai, "princess," became Sarah, "Mother of Nations and kings." The Hebrew word for "LORD" is Yahweh, or Jehovah, and the letters 'ah,' which are the 'breath' sound of God's name, the "heth," were taken from the LORD's name and made a part of Abraham and Sarah's names. (Abr-ah-am and Sar-ah) God is saying He will be their God and the God of their descendants. Once again, God promised Abraham and his descendants the entire land of Canaan as an everlasting possession.

Circumcision was a sign of God’s covenant with Abraham and Abraham’s seed. This sign showed that they were set apart from other people, and had entered into a covenant with their God.  Every male child, whether slave or free, must be circumcised on their 8th day. If they were not circumcised they were to be cut off from their people. The shedding of blood was a part of the covenant process. Circumcision sealed the covenant and reminded them of it.

Abraham laughed in amazement that he and Sarah would have a child at their age. Sarah also laughed in disbelief. God confirms that they will have a child, and that his name will be Isaac, which means 'laughter"! Abraham asked if Ishmael could live under the blessing. God said he had heard Abraham's request and would bless Ishmael and make him into a great nation. The covenant, though, was reserved for Isaac. God said Sarah would give birth to Isaac by that same time next year. That day, Abraham, Ishmael, and all of the males in his household were circumcised.

Another kind of circumcision is mentioned in the bible ~ "circumcision of the heart."

Circumcision of the heart in the Old Covenant

• "Circumcise your hearts…and do not be stiff-necked anymore." Deuteronomy 10:16

•  “The LORD your God will circumcise your hearts and the hearts of your descendants, so that you may love him with all your heart and with all your soul, and live.” Deuteronomy 30:6

• “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.” Ezekiel 36:26

• "This is the covenant I will make with the people of Israel after that time," declares the LORD. "I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. Jeremiah 31:33 NIV

These scriptures say that God will circumcise our hearts, and those of our descendants, so that we may love him, and live. He will give us new hearts, and put a new spirit in us. If our hearts are circumcised, we are going to love him. If we love him, we are going to obey him, because we want to please him. Having a new heart means that our LORD is alive in our hearts and we will have eternal fellowship with him. A new covenant was coming, and in it would be God's law written in our minds and on our hearts.



Circumcision of the heart in the New Covenant

"Using circumcision as a metaphor, (Paul) says that only the Holy Spirit can purify a heart and set us apart to God. Ultimately, circumcision cannot make a person right with God; the Law is not enough. A person's heart must change. Paul calls this change "circumcision of the heart." (Got Questions Ministries, "What is Circumcision of the Heart?")

"Someone born (physically) under the Old Covenant received the sign of that covenant (circumcision); likewise, someone born (spiritually) under the New Covenant ("born again," John 3:3) receives the sign of that covenant (baptism)." Got Questions Ministries, "Is Baptism the New Covenant equivalent of Circumcision?")

Our hearts are circumcised in Christ, by the Holy Spirit. The purpose of the law was to lead us to Christ so we could be made right in God's sight by faith. God is looking for committed, trusting and faithful hearts. We want the real deal of having Christ in our lives. We desire to know him on a personal and intimate level. Nothing, absolutely nothing, is more wonderful and amazing than when he reveals himself to us in a profound way. Likewise, Christ wants the real deal with us. He wants all of us. He goes after us to reveal himself to us. We need to respond to him with a belief in him. We must believe that exists. We need to believe that God sent his Son to pay the price for our sins so that we could have eternal life with them. We cannot fake being a believer in Christ. We can't get baptized for "fire" insurance. God knows our hearts far better than we do. If we have received Christ in our hearts, he lives there, and our bodies are his temple. We can say we receive Christ as our Savior, yet we must believe it with our hearts, our spirits. When we do that, the Spirit of Christ, the Holy Spirit, comes to live inside of us and we become one with him. If he has our hearts, he has us, and we have him.

 If our hearts have been circumcised, and he lives in us, we can trust that he is with us and will reveal his truth in every situation we face in life.

Supporting Scripture ~

• A CIRCUMCISED HEART  ~ “Circumcision has value if you observe the law, but if you break the law, you have become as though you had not been circumcised. If those who are not circumcised keep the law's requirements, will they not be regarded as though they were circumcised? The one who is not circumcised physically and yet obeys the law will condemn you who, even though you have the written code and circumcision, are a lawbreaker. A man is not a Jew if he is only one outwardly, nor is circumcision merely outward and physical. A  man is a Jew if he is one inwardly; and circumcision is circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the written code.” Romans 2:25-29

• A CIRCUMCISION BY CHRIST ~ “For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and you have been given fullness in Christ, who is the head over every power and authority. In him you were also circumcised, in the putting off of the sinful nature, not with a circumcision done by the hands of men but with the circumcision done by Christ, having been buried with him in baptism and raised with him through your faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead. When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross.” Colossians 2:9-14

• GOD JUSTIFIES US BY FAITH ~ “Consider Abraham: “He believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.” Those who believe are children of Abraham. The Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and announced the gospel in advance to Abraham: “All nations will be blessed through you.” So those who have faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith. All who rely on observing the law are under a curse, for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law.” Clearly no one is justified before God by the law, because, ”The righteous will live by faith.” The law is not based on faith; on the contrary, “The man who does these things will live by them.” Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.” He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit.”  Galatians 3:6-14

•  THE LAW SERVED TO LEAD US TO CHRIST~ "Before this faith came, we were held prisoners by the law, locked up until faith should be revealed. So the law was put in charge to lead us to Christ that we might be justified by faith. Now that faith has come, we are no longer under the supervision of the law.” Galatians 3:23-25

•  WE ARE HEIRS ACCORDING TO THE PROMISE ~ "For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's offspring, heirs according to the promise. (Galatians 3:26-29 NAS)

• THOSE WHO BELIEVE GOD RAISED CHRIST FROM THE DEAD ARE CREDITED WITH RIGHTEOUSNESS BY FAITH ~ “Abraham received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised. So then, he is the father of all who believe but have not been circumcised, in order that righteousness might be credited to him. And he is also the father of the circumcised who not only are circumcised but who also walk in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had before he was circumcised. It was not through the law that Abraham and his offspring received the promise that he would be heir of the world, but through the righteousness that comes by faith. For if those who live by law are heirs, faith has no value and the promise is worthless, because law brings wrath. And where there is no law there is no transgression. The promise comes by faith, so that it may be by grace, guaranteed to all Abraham’s offspring-not only to those who are of the law but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham. He is the father of us all. As it is written: “I have made you a father of many nations.” He is our father in the sight of God who gives life to the dead and calls those things that are not as though they were. Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead-since he was about a hundred years old – and that Sarah’s womb was also dead. Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised. This is why “it was credited to him as righteousness.” The words “It was credited to him were written not for him alone, but also for us, to whom God will credit righteousness-for us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.” Romans 4:11-25

• See more about righteousness by faith in Romans 3:21-31 

Personal Applications: 

What is God’s covenant with you? What is His part and what is your part?

• "For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life." John 3:16

• "For it is with your heart that you believe, and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. As the scripture says, Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame. For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile, the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him. Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." Romans 10:10-13

• "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith, and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God, not by works, so that no one can boast." Ephesians 2:8-9

• "But now Jesus, our High Priest, has been given a ministry that is far superior to the old priesthood, for he is the one who mediates for us a far better covenant with God, based on better promises." Hebrews 8:6

Next Blog:

El Shaddai, Part 2

Lesson Four ~ El Roi, The God Who Sees Me, Part Three

God told Hagar to name her son “Ishmael” – for the LORD had heard of her misery. The name “Ishmael” means “God hears.” In Genesis 21:17, God heard Ishmael crying in the desert, and came to the rescue. The following scriptures instruct us on how God hears us and how we hear him. Do you remember the first time you ‘heard’ God? How do you hear God?

God Hears Us

• “If my people, called by my name, will humble themselves, pray, seek my face and turn from their sin, then will I hear from heaven and forgive their sin and heal their land.” 2 Chronicles 7:14

• "The Israelites groaned in their slavery, their cry for help because of their slavery went up to God. God heard them and remembered his covenant with Abraham. Exodus 2:23-24

• “This is the confidence we have in approaching God, that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have what we asked of him.” 1 John 5:14 

• “The LORD is far from the wicked but he hears the prayer of the righteous.” Proverbs 15:29

• “In my distress I called to the LORD my God. From his temple he heard my voice; my cry came to his ears.” 2 Samuel 22:7

• “I sought the LORD and he answered me, he delivered me from all my fears.” Psalm 34:4

• “This is what the LORD, the God of your father David days, I have heard your (Hezekiah) prayers and seen your tears; I will add fifteen years to your life.” Isaiah 38:5

• "Those who feared the LORD spoke with one another. The LORD paid attention and heard them, a book of remembrance was written before him of those who feared the LORD, esteemed his name."Malachi 3:16-17 

We hear God

• “Your own ears will hear him. Right behind you a voice will say, ‘This is the way you should go,’ whether to the right or left.” Isaiah 30:21 (NLT) 

• “I know that thou hearest me always.” John 11:42 

• “We ourselves heard this voice that came from heaven when we were with him on the sacred mountain.” 2 Peter 1:18 

• “He that is of the truth hears my voice.” John 18:37 

• “He that is of God hears God’s words.” John 8:47 

• “My sheep listen to my voice. I know them and they follow me.” John 10:27 

• “Here I am!” I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.” Revelation 3:20

Summary

If we know he sees us, then we know that he hears us. We serve a God who hears us when we cry out to him in our time of need, when we repent, when we praise him, when we pray to him, when we speak his name. He not only hears us, he answers us. He delivers us, he heals us, he saves us. He has a book which holds in it everything that has been said about him by those who love him.

Our God has the power to cause us to hear him. He is always with us. His voice guides us. He speaks to our hearts. Jesus said that those who are of truth and are of God will hear his voice. 

He goes after us. He says, "Here I am!" to everyone. He is the God who reveals himself. All we have to do is listen to him and open the door of our hearts to him and we will have fellowship with him.

Have you opened your heart to him? Have you heard him speak to your heart? Get quiet and listen for his voice. Truly, how could there be anything more amazing in this life than to communicate with God?

Next Blog ~

You are invited to write a Psalm to the LORD, describing what you think it will be like to finally see your God face to face. I will post my Psalm.

Lesson Three ~ Adonai, Lord and Master, Part Two

God’s Covenant with Abraham….The Covenant of the Parts.

This is a paraphrased transcript from a recent message, “A Covenant Relationship,” by Pastor Tim Keller of Redeemer Presbyterian in New York City. I highly recommend listening to this message…you can google it at Tim Keller, "A Covenant Relationship."

If you understand what happens in Genesis 15, you're at the very heart of what the bible is all about. God has said to Abraham, I will bless you. But Abraham says, How do I know, how can I be sure? God tells Abraham to kill some animals, cut them in pieces and arrange the pieces in two rows with an aisle so you can walk through them. 


Abraham wasn't confused by that, because in those days, when a great Lord wanted to make a covenant with a servant, that's how it was done. Animals were slain, the pieces were arranged, and when the servant took the oath of loyalty to the Lord, he did so as he was walking between pieces. He was acting out the curse of the covenant. He was saying, I swear loyalty to you O Lord, and if I do not keep my promise, may I be cut into pieces like this. 

So Abraham figured he was arranging a situation for a covenant ceremony. He cut the pieces up and he expected that he would be called to walk through, because Lords never walked through the pieces. So he waited and he waited. Then all of a sudden, incredible darkness came down. It was the darkness of judgement. And in the midst of the darkness was God. He appeared as a smoking fiery pillar, just like at Mt. Sinai, later on. And he passed through the pieces as he promised to bless Abraham. 

Now Abraham was startled. And almost every commentator who has ever tried to come to grips with Genesis 15 is startled, because what that means is not just that I will bless you, but he's promising to die if he doesn't bless him. He's promising to be torn to pieces if he doesn't bless Abraham. That's amazing, but that's not all. 

Abraham had two shocks. The first shock was that God went through the pieces. The second shock was that Abraham was never called to go through the pieces himself. The ceremony ended, and therefore God made a covenant with Abraham. But this was unheard of! It was amazing for the Lord to come and walk through the pieces, but for the servant not even to make the oath? Do you know what that meant? Abraham knew what it meant, though he didn’t see how it could be. It meant  God was making the promise for both of them, and he was taking the curse of the covenant on for both of them. Not only will I be torn to pieces if I don’t keep my promise, I’ll be torn to pieces if you don’t.

Oh Abraham, Abraham, God is saying, and to all of us, Oh world, I will bless you no matter what. Even if it means that my immortality must become mortal. Even if my glory must be drowned in darkness. Even if I have to literally be torn to pieces…..AND HE WAS.


Centuries later, a thick darkness came down on Mt. Cavalry. In the midst of the darkness, there was God in the person of Jesus Christ. And he was literally being torn to pieces….nails, spears, thorns. Why? He was taking the covenant curse. 
With his perfect life, Jesus Christ completely fulfilled the terms of the covenant, and he earned the blessing, but with the sacrifice of death, he completely fulfilled the curse of the covenant, and that leaves the blessing for you and me and anyone who lifts the empty hands of faith and asks for it. Jesus Christ fulfilled the conditions of the covenant so that we could be received unconditionally. 
Tim Keller summarizes that once you get this, it leads you to paradoxical obedience to God, absolute trust in God, church membership (accountability in our covenant relationships with each other) and getting serious about God.  




It's Paul who says Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us. He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to us all through Jesus Christ. You know what that means? This is the answer to all the riddles. 
Paul says in Romans 4 this is how God can be just and justifier of those who believe. This is the ultimate blend of law and love. How so? Are the blessings of God conditional or unconditional? YES. Why? Because on the cross Jesus Christ absolutely fulfilled the conditions of the law, so that God could love you absolutely unconditionally. 

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When I (Tricia) heard this message, and it got to the part where he said "AND HE WAS"...that God was literally torn to pieces in keeping with his covenant, my jaw dropped. If this was ever explained to me like this before, I cannot recall.

I understood that, later, when God asked Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac, the ram God provided was a picture of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. I also understood that God was the only one who walked through the animal parts, and that if the person who made the covenant did not keep his promise, that he would wind up like the animals. However, I did not make the connection here that this covenant in Genesis 15 was a picture of what would literally happen to God in the form of Jesus Christ. 

It really shook me to the core. I got so excited about it! I couldn't wait to tell everyone I saw. Some people already knew this. Most did not. This revelation about the Abrahamic Covenant physically and mentally exhausted me. It was the best kind of "tired" I have ever been! I would have thought that this would have energized me instead of exhausting me! It is a revelation of our covenant….how it started and the magnitude of what was involved. It almost feels like getting saved all over again!

We need to know, understand and appreciate our covenant. I will always be amazed at what God did in Genesis 15. I will always be amazed at what Jesus Christ did under the New Covenant.  
We have something unimaginably wonderful to be thankful for! Have you received the gift of salvation?  All you have to do is believe, just like Abraham did.

Next Blog ~

"El Roi," The God Who Sees Me 

Lesson Four ~ El Roi, The God Who Sees Me ~ Part One

Foundation Scripture:  Genesis 16:13 She (Hagar) 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.”

Definition: #7210 (ro-EE) A sight, an appearance, a spectacle, a warning example, a gazing-stock, looking, a vision. (The Complete Word Study Old Testament)

God is omniscient (all-knowing) and omnipresent (present in all places at the same time.) He sees and knows everything about us. There is not one detail of our lives he is unaware of. He cares deeply about our lives.

In the bible, when someone ‘sees’ God, they usually see the “Angel of the LORD,” or a vision of God. Bible scholars believe that The “Angel of the LORD” is a theophany, or preincarnate manifestation of Jesus Christ. This is the only time this name of God, "El Roi," is mentioned in the bible.

Genesis 16:1-16 ~ The dramatic story of Hagar, the Egyptian Maidservant of Abram and Sarai, and her encounter with the God Who Sees. 

A decade passes, and Abram and Sarai are still waiting for God to fulfill his promise of blessing Abram with many descendants. Even though God and Abram have made a covenant, Sarai is getting worried and comes up with a plan.

She convinces Abram to have an heir through their Egyptian maidservant, Hagar. This was a common practice in that time and it seemed like a reasonable thing to do. When Hagar realizes she is pregnant, she sports a despising attitude toward Sarai. Sarai is livid, blames Abram for her misery, and invites God to judge between herself and Abram. Abram tells Sarai to do whatever she thinks is best, so Sarai mistreats Hagar, and Hagar runs away.

The Angel of the LORD finds Hagar near a spring in the desert. He addresses her as Hagar, servant of Sarai, and asks her where she has come from and where she is going. Hagar says she is running away from her mistress. He tells her to go back to her mistress and submit to her. Then he makes an amazing promise to her! He is going to give her so many descendants they cannot be counted! Then he tells her to name her son Ishmael, for the LORD has heard of your misery.

Hagar named the LORD who spoke to her "You are the God who sees me," because she has seen the One who sees her. That is why the well was called Beer Lahai Roi.

Hagar gives birth to Abram's son. Abram names him Ishmael (which means "God hears.")

The God Who Sees, Sees All. He knew that this was all going to unfold. He saw Sarai planning with Abram. He saw the attitude Hagar had toward Sarai. He saw Sarai complaining to Abram. He saw Abram telling Sarai to do what she thought was best. He saw Sarai mistreat Hagar. He saw Hagar run away. He saw the steps that needed to be taken by Hagar for reconciliation. He saw the life of Ishmael. He saw a way to meet this family where they were at, but he still had his plan, and he saw a way to make his plan work, in spite of what Sarai and Abram had done.

The LORD saw Hagar and was able to get her to see who she was in him. She saw that she was not alone and that the God Who Sees loved her enough to rescue her and help her make things right in her life. The LORD saw that Hagar would never have been in this situation if it had not been for Sarai's plan and Hagar's attitude. He gave her hope for her future, and a new vision for her life. He expected her to be obedient to her mistress, and she was. She returned with the important knowledge that God was with her.

Genesis 21:8-21 is the further account of Hagar and Ishmael. Sarah saw Ishmael mocking Isaac, and told Abraham to get rid of Hagar and Ishmael. She insisted that Ishmael would not share in Isaac's inheritance.  Abraham was distressed over this, but God told him to listen to Sarah. God said that Abraham's offspring would come through Isaac, and that he would make Ishmael into a nation too, since he was also Abraham's offspring. Abraham sent them away and they wandered in the desert of Beersheba. Their water was gone and they thought they were going to die. God heard Ishmael crying, and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven. He told her not to be afraid, that God had heard Ishmael crying. He told her to lift Ishmael up and take him by the hand, that he would make him into a great nation. Then God opened her eyes and she saw a well of water, and they drank. God was with Ishmael as he grew up.

In the Galatians 4:21-31, Paul uses Hagar and Sarah to demonstrate the difference between the Old Covenant, based on the law, and the New Covenant, based on grace. Hagar represents the Old Covenant. The son of Hagar the slave woman was born in the ordinary way. Sarah represents the New Covenant. The son of the free woman was born by the Spirit's power. In verse 31 Paul says, "Therefore, brothers, we are not children of the slave woman but of the free woman."

How we see the LORD, ourselves and others are all extremely important, and will have a great impact on God's plan for our lives.

The most important thing we can do in life is to get to know God. Since we cannot "see" the LORD, we need to purpose to be with him. We do that in a variety of ways through worship, prayer, reading his word and purposing to get in his presence. God inhabits the praises of his people and reveals himself through his written word. He IS the WORD! We need to get a revelation that he is always watching us. This should be a very comforting truth. This can also serve to keep us from sinful behavior. When we sin, we are aware that God has seen it. It should be easy to take it to him and ask for his forgiveness. There is no point in trying to hide anything from him!

He knows the number of hairs on our head. There is nothing he does not know about us. There is no place we can go to get away from him. He goes after us like a lamb who has wandered from the flock. He meets us where we are. He knows why we got off track and what it's going to take to get us back on track.

He is always with us. He gives us his perspective. He sees the big picture while we only see in part.
We don’t always have an accurate perception of our situation. We get into trouble when we have the wrong perspective of God, others, and ourselves. When we are in conflict with someone, we usually cling to our narrow view of the situation. We seldom stop to really look at the other person's perspective. We tend to think "we are right" and "they are wrong." No one is always right. Although we know what the word of God says, we still want to react the way we feel we should be able to react. One of the most important questions to ask yourself when you are in a bad situation is, "What does God's word say about it?"

What kind of a relationship do we have with God if we do not seek his counsel in a tough situation?
God does the same thing with us that he did with Hagar. He asks us questions that help explain our situation. He asked Hagar, "Where are you coming from and where are you going?" He counsels us to do the right thing. His promises for us are abundant when we are obedient. We can rely on him to open our eyes to what will help us in our situations. We can rely on the truth of his word and the ministry of the Holy Spirit to be our counsel.

God has provided us with people in our lives who can share their perspective with us. We should all have someone in our lives who can help us see an answer to a conflicted situation. What is a friendship or relationship worth if we block out their perspective and cling to our own thoughts and emotions that can cloud our judgement? We all have blind spots and should open to the constructive correction of someone in our lives who holds a position of trust and genuine accountability. Likewise, we should make ourselves available to give godly advice to others.

In getting to know God, we will learn who we are in him. We will see ourselves as he sees us. This will help us accomplish his plans for us on earth. "As a man thinks in his heart, so is he." Proverbs 23:7 We will become what we think we are. God is conforming us to his image every day.

We must purpose to see others the way God sees them…created in His image. This will honor God and encourage others. If we have that kind of attitude toward others, we can expect others to have that attitude toward us.

Encounter!

Encounter El Roi, the God Who Sees. Ask him to open your eyes to his word, and make a fresh commitment to regularly enjoy being in his presence!

• Ask God to give you eyes to see him the way he really is.

• Ask God to give you eyes to see your situation the way he sees it.

• Ask God to give you eyes to see yourself and others the way he does.

• Ask God to give others eyes to see you the way he sees you.

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