The God Who Sees, Cares and Walks With Us

Reading the accounts of people’s journey of faith in what is called the Old Testament [The Jewish Bible] can be confusing. Life was very different 2, 3, or 4.000 years ago. If you’ve read the account of Abraham’s life, you’ve probably had moments where scratched your head and thought “What?” Abraham and his wife Sarah couldn’t get pregnant. Sarah suggested to Abraham that he sleep with her servant, who could give them a child. Abraham agreed to Sarah’s solution for a child. Hagar, Sarah’s servant, got pregnant and gave birth to Abraham’s son, Ishmael. “When Hagar knew she was pregnant, she began to treat her mistress, Sarai, with contempt. Then Sarai said to Abram, ‘This is all your fault! I put my servant into your arms, but now that she’s pregnant she treats me with contempt.’ … Then Sarai treated Hagar so harshly that she finally ran away.” Genesis 16:4-6 (NLT) God appeared to Hagar, spoke comfort, encouragement and promises to her. “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) “The One who sees.” God is not only the One who sees, He is also the One who understands, cares, and acts on people’s behalf. Jesus said His Father is aware of every sparrow falling from the sky and every hair that you lost last time you showered. “Our Father, who is in heaven,” sees everything! Nothing happens in secret or “behind his back.” He sees you! He sees what you are going through. He promises to walk with you through the water, the fire and the “valley of the shadow of death.” This week I reminded someone under hospice care of the poem “Foot Prints in the Sand.” The poem reveals a God who cares and a God who carries. No one knows the author of the poem popular in the 20th century. The idea of “foot prints in the sand” is found in print as far back as the 1700s. Here’s the poem. Let it remind you of the God who SEES, CARES AND WALKS WITH US. One night I dreamed a dream. As I was walking along the beach with my Lord. Across the dark sky flashed scenes from my life. For each scene, I noticed two sets of footprints in the sand, One belonging to me and one to my Lord. After, the last scene of my life flashed before me, I looked back at the footprints in the sand. I noticed that at many times along the path of my life, especially at the very lowest and saddest times, there was only one set of footprints. This really troubled me, so I asked the Lord about it. "Lord, you said once I decided to follow you, You'd walk with me all the way. But I noticed that during the saddest and most troublesome times of my life, there was only one set of footprints. I don't understand why, when I needed You the most, You would leave me." He whispered, "My precious child, I love you and will never leave you Never, ever, during your trials and testings. When you saw only one set of footprints, It was then that I carried you."

The Lovingkindness of God

The last couple of weeks I’ve been meditating on the “LOVINGKINDNESS” of the Lord. Dozens of times in the Scripture the word lovingkindness is used to describe God, His character, and nature. During the Temple reconstruction project led by Nehemiah, the scribe Ezra read the Law to the people. As they heard the words of the Law, they realized they had repeatedly rebelled against God. The people joined for a time of confession for the nation’s transgressions. The leaders of the Levite priests led the confession. “You alone are the Lord. You made the skies and the heavens and all the stars. You made the earth and the seas and everything in them. You preserve them all, and the angels of heaven worship you.” The Levites continued confessing their repeated rebellion against God. Eventually the Levites acknowledged the lovingkindness of the Lord. “You are a God of forgiveness, gracious and merciful, slow to become angry, and rich in unfailing love. You did not abandon them…” Nehemiah 9:17 (NLT) God had every reason to abandon the rebellious and disobedient people, but because HE IS LOVINGKINDNESS, He could not and would not abandon them. Lovingkindness includes forgiveness, grace, mercy, slow anger, and rich unfailing Love. The Hebrew word “chesed” means giving oneself fully, with love and compassion. Faithfulness, unfailing love, mercy, or good favor are often used in newer translations of the Scriptures instead of lovingkindness. Lovingkindness, faithfulness, unfailing love, mercy, and good favor are not how God chooses to act. They describe who God is. You can trust God because HE IS lovingkindness, faithfulness, unfailing love, mercy, and good favor. God is different from us. We can choose to show lovingkindness or not. We often respond based on our emotions, moods, and attitude, and that response often falls far short of faithfulness, unfailing love, mercy, and good favor. God cannot think, feel, or act contrary to His character. Whenever something seems less than loving, kind or lovingkindness, it is because we can’t see what He sees. I encourage you to spend some time meditating on God’s faithfulness, unfailing love, mercy, and good favor. It’ll without a doubt strengthen you.

The Goodness of God

We’ve been singing a song lately that is becoming one of my favorites. The song is “The Goodness of God.” Every time one of our worship leaders starts the song, tears want to well up in my eyes. I’m overwhelmed to the core as we sing the song and reminded of how good God has been. Theologian Wayne Grudem says in Systematic Theology, “The goodness of God means that God is the final standard of good, and that all that God is and does is worthy of approval.” Over and over the Scriptures declare God’s goodness. “The LORD is good and does what is right.” Psalms 25:8 (NLT) “You are good and do only good.” Psalms 119:68 (NLT) “Give thanks to the LORD … for the LORD is good.” Jeremiah 33:11 (NLT) “The LORD is good to everyone. He showers compassion on all his creation.” Psalms 145:9 (NLT) Grudem also says in Systematic Theology, “God’s mercy is his goodness toward those in distress, his grace is his goodness toward those who deserve only punishment, and his patience is his goodness toward those who continue to sin over a period of time.” One of the most loved passages from Psalms is found in David’s declaration in Psalm 23. David wrote, “Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life.” Psalms 23:6 (NLT) Not only is God good, but He does good for His children. “We know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.” Romans 8:28 (NLT) God is good! Let your spirit meditate on God’s goodness. The truth will transform you.

Persistence

Persistence I can think of many examples of persistence. The child repeating the question “Why?” over and over. The teenager wanting the time of a curfew changed. Jim Russell’s dog Rowdy wanting someone to throw the frisbee for him to chase and catch. God’s persistence might not be a character trait that you’ve thought about, but God is persistent. I often think of God as being ruthlessly persistent. He never ceases in His quest for a relationship with His creation.I described his persistence as “jealousy.” Jesus’ brother James described God’s jealousy in his letter to the early believers. “Do you suppose it is to no purpose that the Scripture says, ‘He yearns jealously over the spirit that he has made to dwell in us’”? James 4:5 (ESV) The New Century Version translates James’ word “Do you think the Scripture means nothing that says, ‘The Spirit that God made to live in us wants us for himself alone’”? James 4:5 (NCV) God is aggressively determined to gain people’s attention and devotion. The disciples were told by Jesus to prioritize the Kingdom of God, and in return, He would fulfil their needs. When people seek everything they need, they do not get what they need. When they center their life on God, they get what they need. God’s ruthless persistence is not self serving or pathological. He is ruthlessly persistence is for the well-being of His creation. I am thankful for God’s ruthless persistence. Like anyone else, I’d be in a ditch somewhere if God wasn’t ruthless and persistent towards me. Jesus describes His Father’s persistence, saying, “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one can snatch them away from me, for my Father has given them to me, and he is more powerful than anyone else. No one can snatch them from the Father’s hand.” John 10:27-29 (NLT)