The God Who Sees
I have a confession.
I’ve been struggling a lot lately with the desire to be seen, noticed, and recognized—whether it’s in my relationships, my desire for one, or my job. It’s been a reoccurring issue, rooted in sin, that the Lord has revealed to me. And now that I see it, I can’t unsee it.
“Is Me not seeing you enough?”
This question has been ringing in my mind. My head knows the answer: yes, it is. But my heart? Well, it’s been wrestling with believing it.
So, I ask you: Is God seeing you enough? Are you content, or do you, like me, sometimes crave the attention of another?
If so, you’re in the right place. Here, you’ll be met with grace and truth—two things that, when paired together, bring light to our darkened hearts. They go hand in hand, without contradiction. So I’ll do my best to find a balance because, honestly, we all need it.
Find Grace
Whether you’re struggling in this area or something else entirely, there is grace.
Grace is not an excuse to ignore or continue in the darkness that the Lord shines His light on (Romans 6:1-2). However, it is an undeserved gift we receive through Christ. Because of His death on the cross—for all, not part, of our sins—we can draw near to the throne of grace to find grace in our time of need (Hebrews 4:16).
I think it’s important to start here because grace reminds us that we don’t have to stay in guilt or shame over our sins, big or “small”. Not only that, but grace should send us running back to the giver of it. If it wasn’t what we did then that gave us grace, nothing we do or feel now can take it away.
Stand on the Truth
So, what’s the truth?
Before we dive into that, let’s address the lie: “God doesn’t see me” or “God seeing me isn’t enough.”
Is there anything that God doesn’t see? The One who created the entire universe and everything in between? Not only is He the Creator, Elohim, but He also cares for everything He has made (Psalm 104:24-30). That includes you and me—created in His image.
Let’s look at what Scripture says about this truth:
“The angel of the Lord found her by a spring of water in the wilderness, the spring on the way to Shur. And he said, ‘Hagar, servant of Sarai, where have you come from, and where are you going?’ She said, ‘I am fleeing from my mistress Sarai.’ The angel of the Lord said to her, ‘Return to your mistress and submit to her.’ The angel of the Lord also said to her, ‘I will surely multiply your offspring, so that they cannot be numbered for multitude.’ And the angel of the Lord said to her, ‘Behold, you are pregnant and shall bear a son. You shall call his name Ishmael, because the Lord has listened to your affliction. He shall be a wild donkey of a man, his hand against everyone, and everyone’s hand against him, and he shall dwell over against all his kinsmen.’ 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.’” — Genesis 16:7-13
There’s so much here, but let me highlight three things:
The Lord found Hagar. She was running away, but no matter how far she ran, she could never escape the presence of the Lord (Psalm 139:7-12).
The Lord listened to her affliction. It can often feel like God doesn’t see us in times of suffering, but this passage reminds us that God hears us. I love how the psalmist puts it: the Lord hears and inclines His ear to us (Psalm 34:17, 40:1, 116:1-2). This means we have His full attention. Who are we, that He would do this? Yet it’s true.
“You are a God of seeing.” Hagar recognized that not only did God see her, but He also looked after her. He is not just a God who sees, but one who cares for His people.
So, let me leave you with this:
No one’s gaze compares to His. No recognition you receive from others is greater than His attention. And no reward compares to the one He gives.
So, in the wilderness, in the affliction—friend—cling to these truths about who God is: He pursues us, He listens to us, and He sees us.
