Tag: God sees

The Faithfulness of God

On By vickleaIn Scripture, YouVersion App4 Comments

From the YouVersion Bible App Devotional, “A God Who Is Faithful”, Day 1

A Faithful God and an Unfaithful People

The book of Judges presents a stark contrast between the faithfulness of God and the unfaithfulness of his people. It is astounding to consider that so soon after their miraculous deliverance from Egypt, a generation arrived on the scene that neither knew the Lord nor the works that he had done for them. The very same nation who was an eyewitness to the stunning might of God had now forgotten him altogether. Their forgetfulness is seen in their ever-increasing propensity toward rebellion.

One would anticipate that their sin would prompt God to abandon his people forever. Yet, time and time again, an avalanche of God’s grace meets the faithlessness of the people. In fact, the text records God’s pity on the people and his attentiveness to their cries. Previously, Moses recounted how the people of God groaned because of their slavery and cried out to the Lord (Ex 2:23 – 25). These cries for deliverance were met by responses from the Lord. He heard their cries. He remembered the promises he had made in his covenant with them. He saw their need, and he knew their pain. This is the nature of the faithfulness of God — he hears, remembers, sees and knows.

Now, generations later, God heard the cries of his people and provided judges to lead them to victory. He did this despite the fact that they had demonstrated a perpetual inability to obey, even for a generation. God’s faithfulness is clearly not predicated on the goodness of his people. Rather, God’s faithfulness is founded on his character. He is a faithful God who always keeps his promises.

The faithfulness of God is the hope on which the Christian life is built. Those who know Jesus through repentance and faith can rest assured that God is faithful to his promises (1Co 1:9). He will not abandon his people, nor will he turn his back on them when they are unfaithful. Instead he hears, remembers, sees and knows. (Emphasis added by me) He hears the cry for mercy from those who know they are broken. He remembers his covenant, made long ago to Abraham, to save his people. He knows the needs of his people and, by virtue of Christ’s work, has made provision to meet those needs and restore them to a right relationship with him forever.

Today’s Prayer: 

Jesus, I thank you and praise you for your grace and faithfulness. Thank you for never giving up on me, even when I am ungrateful, rebellious and forgetful of your goodness. Amen.

My Thoughts

I have never been in slavery, captive by people who use me mercilessly. But I have been in slavery to sin, and God has freed me, not because of anything I have done but only because of His mercy and grace.

It is reassuring to know that God remains faithful even when we lose sight of the pathway He has us on and wander away. He is faithful to get us back on the right pathway and get us headed again in the right direction. God knows that we are human with all of the weaknesses and temptations that come along with it, and the good news is that He loves us anyway and is always faithful. He hears when we cry out to Him. I have a regular routine of praying daily, but that was not always the case. Even if I went days without acknowledging God (confession here: I am guilty of having done this in the past and know that I can fall into that pattern in the future if I allow myself to do so), once I called on the Name of the Lord, I felt Him draw near to me, ready to hear and answer my call. Why would He do that? Why would He be so faithful when I, and other humans, have a tendency to turn towards self-sufficiency instead of toward Him? Then the going gets rough and we turn to God. I have learned a big life lesson to always call on God, every day, no matter how I expect my day to go or what is going on in my life.

Having said all of this, I have a prayer request for a dear friend in PA. She was diagnosed with tongue cancer. No, she never smoked or used tobacco products, ever! That was last year. Now, it has progressed and she is on hospice care. We share a love of good Christian books and I have sent her some of my favorites via my daughter who attends her church. In fact, she taught all of my grandchildren there at one time or another. Please pray for Millie and her family. She has two sisters, one a twin, and I am sure that the knowledge that she only has a few months to live is devastating to them. I know it is breaking my heart; she is such a kind, sweet lady. I won’t tell you how to pray, but I am asking you to pray. God is faithful!

God Sees Me

On By vickleaIn Scripture4 Comments

I have always been fascinated by the story of Hagar in Genesis. First of all, she was an Egyptian slave to Sarai and Sarah used her to accomplish a goal she wanted to achieve. She gave Hagar to Abram so that Hagar would conceive a child for him since Sarai when Sarai was barren. Instead of waiting for God to fulfill His promise, Sarai jumped the gun and inserted Hagar into the picture. Hagar was pregnant with a son who should be named Ishmael and Sarai became so jealous that she treated Hagar cruelly. Hagar then fled from her and out in the desert an angel of the Lord came to her and told her to return to Sarai and to have her son Ishmael there, that he would be a great nation, too. This story amazes me because Hagar was an Egyptian among the Israelites. She was not one of God’s chosen people, yet He took the time to reassure her of His presence and His plan for her. This is where the Scripture comes in that is my focus today.

God sees me all the time and I am thankful for His being there for me when I am feeling lonely or afraid, as Hagar was. I am an introvert and tend to withdraw into corners during large gatherings. Usually, after a while has passed, my husband will notice that he hasn’t seen me in the crowd and come to find me. But I know that the entire time, God was right there with me. When I felt alone all the times my husband was deployed, God was with me. Now that I am in Maryland while my husband remains in Virginia, God is with me. He sees all of my circumstances and meets me where I am, offering comfort, wisdom and help whenever I need it. It is not a small thing to be seen by the Creator of the Universe. I’m just a small speck down here on earth, and yet I know He always has His eye on me. That is a verse worth remembering, isn’t it?

Have a blessed day and remember to look up to the One who sees you and thank Him for being there with you all the time.

Fully Committed

On By vickleaIn Scripture3 Comments

What does it mean to be fully committed to God?

The Scripture today is from 2 Chronicles when King Asa was double-minded about his commitment to God. He asked God for deliverance from his enemies, received that deliverance and then the next thing you know, without consulting God at all, he was making alliances with another enemy. Fully committed to me means not turning back or looking to other things or people, but to God as the Lord of our life and the one who deserves all of our praise and worship. It means when things get tough, we don’t deny God but we run to Him.

I am fully committed to my relationship with God and I don’t want to do anything that would make others think less of Him. Proclaiming to be a Christian means that I carry His name with me wherever I go, in the long line at checkouts as well as in the waiting room at the doctor’s office. People are always looking, just as God is. People seem to be waiting for us to fall, but God is looking to see if we are fully committed. God has high expectations for us, and I, for one, don’t want to disappoint Him. So, sometimes I have to bite my tongue more than once to keep myself from replying in kind to rude comments. Sometimes I have to even get out of line and wander around the store again until I have control of myself and my tongue. Whatever it takes to show others that I am not a Christian who takes my confession of faith lightly. Representing God to an world that is increasingly hostile to Him is not always easy, but it is always the right thing to do. One day, we may all have to stand up for our faith and face real persecution as others in the world have already done. That is full commitment, being ready to face whatever the world throws at us and still standing for the Lord. He stood for each of us on the darkest day of His life, separated by sin from His Heavenly Father and suffering for all of us. Can we do any less than be fully committed to Him?

May your day be blessed with the knowledge of God’s presence in your life and the peace that comes from knowing that He is fully committed to bringing you to Himself safely and helping you finish whatever work He has given you on the earth to complete.