Just recently I was attending a conference at a hotel in the north east of England. We headed for breakfast and I noticed a waitresses rushing around looking quite stressed and angry with everyone. In fact she nearly knocked me over as I walked across the restaurant. Initially I admit I was quite offended by her behaviour, however, as I sat and enjoyed breakfast with friends I felt God say ‘go and give her £10 as a tip and thank her for working so hard.’

I did this and the lady was shocked and thrilled at the same time. She told us how short staffed they were and how she hated to give poor service. We thanked her for her wonderful service. Later in the day I saw her at lunch setting the tables and I felt God again say to go and speak to her and invite her to the church hosting the conference.

I had a long chat with her, listened to her story of how she had been through a divorce and now had three part time jobs in order to pay the bills. Before we left that day I was able to pray for her for healing and she had agreed to attend church with some of the guys from the conference the following Sunday. I’m praying she will come to find God for herself.

God Sees

God saw that ladies stress and frustration and understood even better than me the life of struggle she was going through. He wanted to connect with her that day and used an initially offended hotel guest to break through into her world. God saw us even before we saw Him! I love the story of how Jesus already saw Nathaniel before he became one of the disciples? “How do you know me?” Nathanael asked. Jesus answered, “I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you.” (John 1:48)

I love the fact that God sees everything. He is everywhere present and in fact one of the Hebrew names for God is ‘El roi’ – ‘the God who sees.’ We should be encouraged that there is no circumstance that escapes his fatherly awareness & care. God knows us & our troubles, thoughts & feelings. Jesus said that even the hairs in our head are numbered by God and that He notices even when a sparrow falls to the ground. That tells me that God sees in detail the circumstances of our lives.

Before we saw God – God saw Us

It’s amazing to think that even before we saw Him, that He had His eye on us.

“For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.” (Psalm 139:13-16

Paul said;

“It’s in Christ that we find out who we are and what we are living for. Long before we first heard of Christ and got our hopes up, he had his eye on us, had designs on us for glorious living, part of the overall purpose he is working out in everything and everyone.” (Ephesians 1:11-12 MSG)

I find it mind blowing to think that God saw me before I was born and had His eye on me and more than that had a plan for my life and this is true for you too. Maybe you haven’t connected with God yet? He wants to reveal Himself to you as Father. He loves you. He sees you. He has a wonderful plan and purpose for your life. He is the God who brings hope, restoration, peace and healing. For more – click on this link.

GOD SEES!

Job understood God’s omnipresence, “for he views the ends of the earth and sees everything under the heavens.” (Job 28:24)

He is the God who sees. But what does He see?

God Sees Our Struggles And Suffering

“She gave this name to the LORD who spoke to her: “You are the God who sees me,” for she said, “I have now seen the One who sees me.”” (Genesis 16:13)

You may feel that you are all alone in your struggles and suffering but rest assured that God sees and He is faithful.

God Sees Our Pain

“The eyes of the LORD are on the righteous, and his ears are attentive to their cry; but the face of the LORD is against those who do evil, to blot out their name from the earth. The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles. The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” (Psalm 34:15-18)

God sees, hears and is close to the broken hearted. He remains our strong deliverer.

God Sees Our Heart

“But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.” (1 Samuel 16:7)

He knows our thoughts, words (before on lips), motives, ambitions, dreams & longings. Others may not understand us or even judge us but God knows and sees our hearts.

God Sees Our Plans

“For the ways of man are before the eyes of the LORD, And He ponders all his paths.” (Proverbs 5:21)

We should commit our plans to God before going any further. He sees the beginning from the end and I would prefer to run them past Him before going any further (Prov. 16:3)

God Sees Our Future Challenges

“Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift all of you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.” (Luke 22:31-32)

Whatever we face, God already knows, sees and is our greatest encourager. In fact – Jesus sees and is praying us through.

God Sees & Rewards What We Do In Secret

“But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.” (Matthew 6:3-6)

Whilst no one else may notice – God sees what you do in secret and He promises to reward you.

God Sees Our Faithfulness And Hard Work

‘God is not unjust; He will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped His people and continue to help them.’ (Hebrews 5:10)

How many of us wonder whether anyone has noticed all that we do in serving Him and His people? The truth is this – God will see it even when no one else does!

God Sees What We Don’t Want Him To See

“He says to himself, “God will never notice; he covers his face and never sees.” (Psalm 10:11)

We must never forget that God sees our sin, our bad choices, our selfishness, those wrong thoughts, harsh words and what we do when no one is looking and one day we will have to give account to Him. Let’s make it our aim to live to please Him and be a blessing to others.

“Nothing…is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.” (Heb.4:13)

God Sees Our Weakness And Desires To Strengthen Us

“For the eyes of the LORD range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him.” (2 Chronicles 16:9)

God sees us when we are committed to Him – He sees the price we pay at times, the unwillingness to compromise His Word and the challenges we face to be a true follower of Christ. His grace is sufficient (2 Cor. 12:9) for each one of us.

God Sees – He Watches Over Your Life

“He will not let your foot slip— he who watches over you will not slumber; indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. The LORD watches over you— the LORD is your shade at your right hand; the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night. The LORD will keep you from all harm— he will watch over your life; the LORD will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.” (Psalm 121:3-8)

I find it incredibly reassuring to know that I have a Father who watches over my going out and my coming in. That He is constantly with me and watching over my life. He will never switch off for a moment for He is the God who sees and, more than that, watches over me. Five times the Psalmist repeats this thought. The Lord sees and watches over you too.

FINAL THOUGHT

What do you and I see when we look at people? When I was eating breakfast that day in the hotel I initially saw an angry and frustrated woman but thankfully God helped me to see someone who was struggling and who He cared about deeply. We live in a fast paced, busy and pretty self absorbed society. God wants us to see what He sees. He wants us to notice those who are struggling, anxious, lonely, fearful or are just having a bad day. Today why not be someone who sees what God sees and bring some hope and encouragement to someone who may really need it.

PRAYER

‘Father thank you that you see me – you watch over my life. Father – give me your eyes to notice, your ears to listen and hear, and let me use my lips to encourage, lift up, strengthen and bring hope to those who are struggling. Lord, help me every day whenever I’m with people to see what you see.’ Amen

IMAGINE

If you’ve enjoyed this post you might like to check out my book entitled ‘Imagine’ that is all about trusting God based on the amazing promise in Proverbs 3:5-6. Imagine is available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble and other major book sellers worldwide.

One recent Amazon reviewer said, “This is an incredibly powerful book written as if the author is chatting to you about his own life, struggles and experiences during his ongoing walk with God. It is a very real and honest book with bible verses to back up what the author is sharing about. Personally this book is having a big impact on me and my faith in God. I would recommend to anyone to buy this book if you want to deepen your relationship with God at whatever stage you are in your walk. Imagine the impact this book could have on your life….”

Another reviewer said ‘A wonderful story of faith and dedication overcoming all obstacles. Full of practical advise and wise instruction. The book invites the reader to ‘dream dreams’ and to live out vision with tenacity and determination. A good hearty read.’ (Pastor Paul Hallam)

 

Featured Photo by

Tyler van der Hoeven