God Notions

One of my favorite scripture verses is in Genesis 18. Where God meets Hagar right where she has run away to and she names Him, El Roi, The God who sees me. Later in Genesis 21, she finds herself again afraid and in trouble, though this time she is with her and Abraham’s son, Ishmael who are both dying of thirst.

Sometimes I am dying of thirst and don’t even know why. It is not a physical thirst, but a spiritual thirst. One that cannot be seen, but felt in my heart and mind. A thirst or starvation of my spirit. The difference between me and Hagar is I know God. Hagar, an Egyptian slave, knew of God through serving Sarai and Abraham. I know God because I know Jesus.

I tend to keep God at a distance even though I know He is all-knowing and all-seeing El Roi. It is I who keeps Him at arm’s length or farther because of some unacknowledged sin. Maybe, more truthfully, a conglomeration of many smaller disobediences I have accumulated that make me feel unworthy to be in God’s notice and to be a consideration for His help. Besides, He is Almighty God, Creator, and Authority over all things, how could He possibly consider, let alone care, about our concerns: fear aggravations, exhaustion, lack of time, lack of money, loneliness, aches, pains, desires for a spouse, a true friend, the list is limitless.

In my own power, I try to keep it together. I don’t want to bother God with the small details, He is busy with world issues. What I am dealing with (not very well I will add, but good enough to “keep my head above water”) are the trials of life. The day to day trials in our lives is like a tiny pebble in our shoe. We tolerate it for a while until it demands our full attention, but we still won’t stop. If we stop we fall behind. To fix the pain and aggravation of the pebble would mean I have to untie my shoe, pull off my sock, find it and put it where it belongs. Out! It is not a part of my plan. Yet somehow later in my walk, another tiny pebble, maybe two this time, finds its way in and I start the whole process of ignoring to the point of exasperation, pain, and wasted time.

Unless of course I go back to scripture and I remember Hagar. She acknowledged God, recognized Him for Who He is and still gave Him a personal name. The God who sees me.

Hagar told Him her troubles: Sarai was being cruel so Hagar’s plan was to run away. Sarai and Abraham had a plan to help God fulfill His promise to Abraham of a son. Everybody had a plan, nobody considered God in their plan, and each of their plans ended up with a pebble or two in their shoe. And still, God came to them and met them right where they were. He made a way, He helped when there seemed to be no way. He kept His promises.

God keeps His promises, always. He is not a distant God, but the God who knows us and sees us. He is The Living God, not the god of the dead.

Just like a loving parent who would stop and help their child get the pebble out of their shoe, Father God is waiting, wanting to remove what is hindering us. He has made Himself known to us because He wants to be known. Emmanuel came out of love to save us completely. Yes, Jesus saves us from death to life everlasting, Alleluia!

The Holy Spirit lives within us now to enable us to walk empowered, to overcome, to remove what hinders us: doubt, fear, anger, hate, and disobedience. Why do I have a tendency to extinguish the Spirit’s power that burns within me with a doubt that God cares or notices me? He died for me, He lives that I might live a life free, full and abundant now, today! When I don’t extinguish His power with a lack of faith and disobedience my life is full, overflowing with hope, love, joy, and peace beyond understanding.

The moment we accepted Christ Jesus as our Savior, we received the Holy Spirit of God, He indwells within us. We are never alone, never helpless, never lost. El Roi is ever-present.

Today let us commit to do the work within ourselves, to walk God’s path for us that He has planned. Let us be quick to stop and look for the source of what disrupts our relationship with Him. And when we find it, let’s be quick to acknowledge it, handing it over in obedience and in accordance to Jesus’ example.

Let’s remember always, trusting and holding fast to faith that God’s refining work is never void of something better to come.