Day 2 - OUR WITNESS

Okay - so here's a picture of my favorite April Fool's Day prankster! Isn't he a goofy goose?


























In case any of you were concerned about it . . . his dad took him to Walmart yesterday and bought the Alvin & the Chipmunks movie (on DVD - not blue-ray disc - GRIN). I think the munchkins watched it at least twice at home last night and then had to bring it with them to Gran's house this morning. So far, I've been spared.




















Not to be outdone, here's Hallie with her own version of a "silly face." But what I REALLY wanted you to see is her t-shirt.

Can you read what it says? "I need attention - I need attention - I need attention - I need attention - etc."

Yep, that's our Hallie. Her mother says when she saw that t-shirt in the store it was SO "Hallie" she knew she'd have to buy it no matter what it cost!




As I was thinking about this morning's devotional and the need we all have "to be seen," I couldn't help but remember our three little "princess" granddaughters this past Christmas. (l-r: Hallie-5, Mira-6, and Megan-4). They spent the bulk of their holiday playtime dressing-up and enthralling their audience of grandparents, parents, aunts, uncles, and cousins with their creative swirling and twirling. [Note to Amber: if you can see the photo ornament of the chubby cheeked baby in pink with Santa just to the left of Hallie's shoulder, that's your friend, Lori, Christmas 1966! The ornament just below it is Santa with Lori's daughters, Mallory & Maggie.]


Some of us girls may have outgrown our need to don princess costumes . . . and we may have long since ceased swirling and twirling for our audience . . . but have we outgrown our need "to be seen"? I don't think so. Let's talk for a minute about Hagar's need to be seen and how God met that need.

Day 2 - Completely Loved by OUR WITNESS

Read: Genesis 16, 21:1-21

Focal passage:

Thereafter, Hagar referred to the Lord, who had spoken to her, as "the God who sees me," for she said, "I have seen the One who sees me!" Genesis 16:13

Let's set the stage for our focal verse, okay? (This will be a pretty loose paraphrase so I hope you read the passage for yourself - carefully and thoughtfully from your own Bible.)

Impatient with waiting for fulfillment of God's promised child, Sarai took matters into her own hands and gave her servant, Hagar, to her husband to bear a child for them. As extreme as that sounds to us today, it was a practice that was somewhat accepted in the culture of Sarai's day. When Hagar became pregnant by Sarai's husband, Abram, the Bible says she looked upon Sarai with contempt. I'm not sure if that means Hagar was prideful that she could conceive and Sarai couldn't and that she cast little haughty glances and sneering smirks at her mistress whenever possible. Or, if it means Hagar was just hormonal and every time morning sickness hit and she had to run for the bushes she hated Sarai for putting her in that cruel place of misery. Whatever the cause, Hagar's condition and attitude did NOT sit well with Sarai. Sarai's plan definitely had not worked out the way she intended; so she did what any good wife would do. She blamed her husband for the mess! Abram left the responsibility squarely on Sarai's shoulders though and granted her permission to do whatever she wanted with Hagar. Sarai chose to mistreat her servant and dealt harshly with her. Hagar responded the same way many of us do when we are hurt and mistreated - she ran away. And that's precisely when she saw the One who saw her.


Did you notice when you read the scripture that when Sarai and Abram talked about Hagar neither one of them ever referred to her by name? To me that indicates how little respect or even concern they had for her as a person. But when God found her by a spring of water in the wilderness, the first thing He said to her was "Hagar ..." (Gen.16:8) He called her by name. That really spoke a fresh word to me when I read this familiar story. I guess because I'd just commented in yesterday's post on the chorus "He Knows My Name." That's an aspect of my relationship with God that has become increasingly special to me in recent months. I've written before about when God first had me begin my journal entries each day with the same two sentences . . . "Good morning, Abba. This is Your beloved child, Beverly." The second sentence was a struggle for me. I knew God knew who I was. Why did I need to tell Him? But I quickly learned that the second sentence was for MY benefit, not His. That second sentence daily reminds me that my Father - my precious ABBA - loves me as the unique individual that I am. He knows my name. He cares about me as a person. When Hagar ran away from the harsh treatment she was receiving from her mistress, God saw her and cared about her as a person too.


Holding His Hand:

(1) I wish I could write that I have never wondered if the God of the universe truly sees me. I know - and I know from the experience of being His child for many years - that Psalm 139 is totally true. When He formed my inward parts and knitted me together in my mother's womb (v.13), His eyes saw my unformed substance (v.16). In His book was written every one of the days that were formed for me even before those days came into being (v.16). He knows my thoughts (v.4).

"Where shall I go from Your Spirit?
Or where shall I flee from your presence?
If I ascend to heaven, you are there!
If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!
If I take the wings of the morning and
dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
even there your hand shall lead me."
(v.7-11)

Yes, these things I KNOW. But have I ever wondered? Yes - sometimes in my faithlessness I have to cry "Lord, help thou my unbelief." Today, I confess Isaiah 43:10: "But now thus says the Lord, he who created you, he who formed you, O Beverly: Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine." Today, I rejoice in hearing Him call my name. I rejoice in knowing I belong to Him. I rejoice in knowing He sees behind the smiling mask I sometimes wear and sees my true emotion. I rejoice in knowing He sees the hurt feelings I sometimes "stuff" deep inside. I rejoice in knowing He sees me when I am sad, perhaps crying, and thinking I am all alone. I rejoice in knowing He sees me when I am hiding from others. I rejoice in knowing He sees me when I am trying to run away from my problems. And, oh how I rejoice in knowing that He sees beyond my sin and into the depth of my need.


(2) I can remember a number of times of feeling desperate to know that God recognized my plight. As desperate, perhaps, as Hagar felt when she tried to escape Sarai's harsh treatment. As a young wife I had moved hundreds of miles away from all my family and friends and when things would not be good between my beloved and me, I can remember feeling bitterly alone and unloved. There were times I wanted to run away . . . times I wanted to run all the way from Mississippi back to Florida where I had family and friends who I knew loved me. But just like God met Hagar beside the well in her wilderness, every time I reached a point of desperation, God met me too. And always, just like He did with Hagar, He would say "return and submit." I doubt that was the message Hagar wanted to hear from God. I know it often wasn't the message I wanted to hear. But God began to teach me that he would supply my needs and bless my obedience. He began to show me that His commands to me in His word were not contingent upon what anyone else did or did not do. I was to simply do what He showed ME to do. In other words, I was to reverence my husband whether I felt he loved me or not. How I praise God for His great sustaining power and steadfast love. Because of HIM, I have been married to the same wonderful man for more than 43 years. We share a world of wonderful memories together and God continues to greatly bless my life through my sweet husband.


I remember a time of desperately needing to know God saw my plight in more recent years too. I remember holding up 2 Corinthians 4: 8-9 in my Bible reading it to God and saying: "We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; But, Lord, I AM crushed! . . . perplexed, but not driven to despair; that's not true, Lord - I am in despair . . ." Oh, I remember feeling SO crushed, SO struck down, SO forsaken. And then God saw. In His sovereignty and steadfast love, I received a card from a friend in the mail that very day telling me he was praying for me. The message of the card read: The cross that you carry is never as heavy as the chains from which you were freed. WOW! Did that ever put things in perspective for me! See, I think, sometimes God tells us to "return and submit" (like He did to Hagar in Gen. 16) and, other times, He says "here - have a sip of my living water and be refreshed" (like He did to Hagar in Gen. 21).


(3) Do I believe that God is an active witness to every aspect of my life? ABSOLUTELY! YES! YES! And a thousand times YES! I KNOW He is!!


I love what Shannon Ethridge wrote (p.11) " . . .only God sits throughout the entire production of your life, from beginning to end. Make this performance count. Remember: life is not a dress rehearsal. It's your only shot at absolutely delighting your audience of One."


What about you, my sweet friends?
(1) Have you ever wondered if the God of the universe truly sees you?
(2) When have you ever felt desperate to know that God recognized your plight?
(3) Do you believe that God is an active witness to every aspect of your life?

Can't wait to hear your comments.