God Sees and Hears

This morning I read the following verse: “Thereafter, Hagar used another name to refer to the LORD, who had spoken to her. She said, "You are the God who sees me." She also said, "Have I truly seen the One who sees me?" (Genesis 16:13 NLT)

Hagar, desperate and vulnerable, feels all alone in the desert—But God sees her, hears her cry, instructs her, comforts and strengthens her.

God sees and hears everything. He senses our pain, anguish, and fears. We are not alone, EVER.

A few hours after I read the above verse, I heard the following song for the first time:

‘Whom Shall I Fear’ (or ‘God of Angel Armies’ by Chris Tomlin)
You hear me when I call
You are my morning song
Though darkness fills the night
It cannot hide the Light
Whom Shall I Fear…
I know who goes before me
I know who stands behind
The God of Angel Armies
Is always by my side
The one who reigns forever
He is a friend of mine
The God of Angel Armies
Is always by my side (song lyrics by Chris Tomlin)
To listen to this song click: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VzIABaImiK4

The above verse about Hagar and hearing the song a few hours later—felt like a divine tap on the head. I sent the song link to my phone and listened to it several times. I think the lyrics of the song came from the Book of Job. Job was a good man who was dealt some really bad cards. Yet, he stayed faithful and trusting, despite his terrible circumstances.

So no matter what we are dealing with today, we too can find strength knowing that the God of Angel Armies goes before us, stands behind us, and is always by our side.

Slow Fade

“It's a slow fade when you give yourself away
It's a slow fade when black and white are turned to gray
And thoughts invade, choices are made, a price will be paid
When you give yourself away
People never crumble in a day
It's a slow fade, it's a slow fade” (song lyrics by Casting Crowns)

Every time I hear this song, it brings tears to my eyes. Every little choice we make is a step—either uphill, away from the abyss--or downhill, to the edge of a cliff. Uphill steps have to be intentional; we can’t rely on momentum. Every step up takes a lot of effort and it is tiring. Going downhill, on the other hand, is much easier. It doesn’t require much thought. We almost have to hold ourselves back so as not to slip head-long too quickly. As we descend, we build up momentum. Before we know it, our little choices have led us to the edge of a dark abyss, and we can’t stop ourselves from tumbling over the edge.

These daily choices are so subtle—we rarely recognize their significance as we make them. We choose between truth and half-truths, pride and humility, selfishness and selflessness, worry and trust, fantasy and reality, greed and generosity. We choose to numb our minds with alcohol, numb our pain with drugs, and numb our boredom with distractions. We pursue a life of ease and accolades. What starts off as a gradual descent, builds up speed and snowballs down the hill. By the time we see the edge of the cliff, we have little control over the momentum, over ourselves.

How can this slow fade, this down-hill slide into darkness be prevented? First of all, make a conscious decision to face upward toward the light. Know that the climb is tough and exhausting. Rest when you get weary, or else you’re likely to slip. Strengthen yourself with trust in God. After each break, get up and resume the climb. You will encounter many who are skipping merrily downhill. Don’t envy the ease of their descent. It’ll just sap your strength and determination. Instead, focus on where you need to place your foot next. The climb is steep and treacherous and requires great concentration and stamina. Yet, because you are headed in the right direction—toward the Most High, you can be assured of protection.

“If you make the Lord your refuge,
    if you make the Most High your shelter,
 no evil will conquer you;
    no plague will come near your home.
 For he will order his angels
    to protect you wherever you go.
They will hold you up with their hands
    so you won’t even hurt your foot on a stone.” (Psalm 91:9-12 NLT)

Lasting Change

Every week I clean my house. It takes hours of exhaustive work to clean all the bathrooms, vacuum, mop, pick up the clutter, throw away the useless stuff, etc. And a few minutes later, it looks messy again. No matter how much work I do, I can’t control the fact that all my efforts will be undone in a matter of time. It’s not just my home that I try to clean and organize. I try to help others sort things out in their lives. I pray and worry.

A friend of mine was talking to me about some concerns she had about a loved one.  In the middle of this conversation, she made the following statement: “I’ve prayed; now, it is between him and the Holy Spirit.” This made such an impression on me.  I’ve been thinking about all the people that I am concerned about. In most cases, the only thing I can do, other than to worry, is to pray. The only person that I can even remotely control is myself.  Most everything else is beyond my influence. So, I went through the list of family and friends whom I pray for daily. I released each one to God and said to myself: Now it’s between him/her and the Holy Spirit.

“But John intervened: “I’m baptizing you here in the river. The main character in this drama, to whom I’m a mere stagehand, will ignite the kingdom life, a fire, the Holy Spirit within you, changing you from the inside out. He’s going to clean house—make a clean sweep of your lives. He’ll place everything true in its proper place before God; everything false he’ll put out with the trash to be burned.” (Luke 3:16-17 MSG)

 

Even John the Baptist admitted he had very little ability to change people. He baptized, preached, and convinced many people to repent and turn away from sin. He was zealous about his calling—living a simple, solitary life—fasting, praying—completely dedicated to God. Yet, he knew that it was beyond his power to convince another human being to truly change from the inside out. Soul level transformation—lasting change—can only happen through the power of the Holy Spirit. And the Holy Spirit is not a slacker; He is working even when we are oblivious to His presence.

Our Father Cares

I have a prayer list. Every day I take a few minutes to lift up certain people to God. I feel the need to remind God that these people need healing, peace, guidance, protection, etc. Why?! If God is our Father, wouldn’t He already care enough about all these people?

I rarely have to remind my husband to care for our son. We regularly talk to each other about our child. My husband and I have different expectations and parenting styles, so we try to come to some agreement before we approach our son.

“Don’t bargain with God. Be direct. Ask for what you need. This isn’t a cat-and-mouse, hide-and-seek game we’re in. If your child asks for bread, do you trick him with sawdust? If he asks for fish, do you scare him with a live snake on his plate? As bad as you are, you wouldn’t think of such a thing. You’re at least decent to your own children. So don’t you think the God who conceived you in love will be even better?” (Matt. 7:7-11 MSG)

God, our Father, cares for every person, whether they are on my prayer list or not. Sharing my concerns and desires for these people with God is comforting to me. A single mom once told me how much she misses being able to share her burdens about her children with their father.  Our Father is even more invested in our children, spouses, sisters, brothers, friends, and parents than we are. He doesn’t need daily reminders, but He is eager to share our concerns and give us hints on how to comfort His suffering children. 

Am I Saved?

I know Christians who are worried about their salvation. I’m NOT one of them. Discussions about the merits of infant vs. adult baptism, sprinkling water vs. full body immersion, whether you said the ‘salvation prayer’, faith vs. works, etc. are irrelevant, in my opinion.

It’s like a married person wondering if their wedding ceremony was legitimate. Whether you said the traditional vows, or made them up yourself, whether you wore white or black, whether the ceremony was in a church or outside, whether you choose to wear rings or not—none of this is crucial to being married. The only thing that matters is whether you are fully committed to your spouse right now.

I rarely discuss my first encounter with Christ, because I don’t remember when it was! I’m pretty sure He was with me before I noticed Him. I try to focus on our mutual love. Every day is an opportunity to express my commitment and devotion.

“May God, our very own God, continue to be with us just as he was with our ancestors—may he never give up and walk out on us. May he keep us centered and devoted to him, following the life path he has cleared, watching the signposts, walking at the pace and rhythms he laid down for our ancestors.” (1 Kings 8:56-58 MSG)

Uncomfortable Encounters

I frequently meet people who make me feel uncomfortable. I’ve tried to analyze what it is about them that makes me uneasy. Sometimes I sense that something is off-balance, corrupt, or inauthentic about these individuals. Other times, I recognize some trait in them that I dislike in myself.

Recently I met someone who seemed driven by the desire for personal happiness and gain. I recognized the same trait in myself, except that I’m apologetic about it and see this as a weakness. I’m also uncomfortable around domineering people, because it reminds me of my own pushiness. Basically, I prefer to hang out with people who are different than I am, because then I don’t have to face my iniquities.

I try to avoid these uncomfortable encounters with my own soul. Unfortunately, I keep running into people like me. I’m forced to confront the corruption within me. It’s an unpleasant task. I feel like I’m extracting a decayed tooth with pliers, from my own mouth. And yet, like a rotten tooth, if I don’t pull it out, the degeneration will just get worse. So...when I have these uncomfortable encounters, I come home and do a self-evaluation. I hold the mirror up and try to yank out the sin.

Luxury

Several months ago, I was reading an article in the Economist about one of the biggest slums in Africa. It described the economy, housing, safety, infrastructure, and self-sufficiency of this slum. There was one factoid from this report that caught my attention: most of these slum-dwellers ate all their meals outside their homes. The article mentioned that they didn’t have the luxury of preparing meals at home. Most of these ‘homes’ didn’t have kitchens or bathrooms. Neither did they have enough money on hand to buy fuel (firewood, charcoal, or dried cow dung) or the ingredients for multiple meals. Local restaurants could buy ingredients and food in bulk and cook for the masses, thus reducing the cost of each meal.

I had never thought of preparing meals at home as a luxury before reading that article. I counted up the actual cost of a simple meal at my home: rice and lentils with spinach. I buy rice and lentils in bulk. For $22, I can buy the ingredients for many meals for my family. However, many people don’t have the luxury of having $22 on hand to buy in bulk or the space to store these things without rodents or insects getting into it. According to the latest statistics, almost half the world—over three billion people—live on less than $2.50 a day. http://www.globalissues.org/article/26/poverty-facts-and-stats

This got me thinking of all the other luxuries I take for granted. I have more than adequate shelter, a bathroom in my home, access to clean water, electricity, medicine, sanitation, education, and transportation. I live in a peaceful area, where I’m not likely to be gunned down or tortured before sundown. I am able to feed and take care of my child.

What can we, who live in luxury, do to help the other half of the world?