4-5-2025

Good Morning All,

     Genesis 16:13-14; “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.”   Therefore the well was called Beer-lahai-roi;”

    Isn’t it kind of amazing how there are times in our lives when we want everyone to see us and there are times when we hope no one even notices us?  When we graduate or when we get married, we feel on top of the world and wish all could see us and how happy we are.  Then there are times when we hope no one will ever notice us and then there are those times when we wish someone would see us, but we fear that they don’t.

    It is this last thought that comes from our verses for today.  This is from the story of Hagar.  She was a young maid to Sara.  Sara and Abram used her to produce an heir for Abram as he and Sara were barren.  Hagar became pregnant and Sara resented it and drove her away.  So here we have this poor young slave girl being driven away from the only life she knows.  You know a young pregnant girl with nowhere to turn; a story that happens to often even today.

     As she runs the angel of the LORD speaks to her and calms her fears.  She calls him “the God who sees me” and the well where the angel spoke to her as “the well of the Living One who sees me.”

    As we struggle through life, always remember that God sees you.  This isn’t meant to be a lecture on our sinful ways; rather I want you to take comfort in the fact that God always sees us.  He sees us when we want someone to see that we are hurting but sometimes; no one notices.  We don’t have to face all of the trials and troubles and garbage out there on our own; God sees it and hears us as we cry to him in anguish and pain.  As we fear the report from the doctor or our job is on the line or the rain hasn’t fallen or our spouse seems distant or our children rebellious, we are not alone.

    God is a God who sees us and more than that he has compassion on us.  He sees our hurts and heals them.  He has compassion on us and repairs the damage, even damage we cause ourselves.  It can be painful, but God is a God who sees and heals.  We have to be aware of the way god works in our lives.  God uses created things to bring joy and comfort to his people.  When we are hurting, he places people in our lives to bring us comfort and hope.  Listen to his words of comfort; experience the comfort of your brothers and sisters in Christ and above all; pray speak to God with all your pain, all your fear and all your desire.  Call upon him and he will see your affliction and bring you peace.

Dearest Father, in many ways we are distressed and in pain.  The world is filled with it, and we cannot avoid it.  See us, Lord; see our pain and our fear and our sorrow.  Send your Spirit of healing and comfort.  Bring us safely home to you.  In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen.         

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret