The 40 Day Challenge Part 1: Run From

Like no other time in human history, through our digital devices, we have the perceived ability to live with secrets. In fact, two of pornography’s most persuasive lies are:

• You’re not hurting anyone.
• No one will ever know.

But what if we began to believe that no matter what, no matter where we are, we are seen? What might your daily choices look like if you knew that God truly saw you?

A God Who Truly Sees Us

In Genesis 16, we find the story of Abraham and the slave Hagar. It’s a complex and messy chapter. It features slavery, extra-marital relations, and the exploitation of a woman and her unborn child.

For background, Abraham and Sarah are married and old. God had promised Abraham that he would be the father of a great nation back in Genesis 12, but now decades later, and married to a barren, elderly woman, the prospect of birthing a great nation looked very unlikely, so Sarah offers Abraham her slave Hagar to provide them with a child.

When it worked and Hagar got pregnant, Hagar flaunted it and Sarah got angry and abused her until Hagar ran away. Eventually the angel of the Lord came to her:

Then the angel of the Lord told her, “Go back to your mistress and submit to her.” The angel added, “I will increase your descendants so much that they will be too numerous to count.”

The angel of the Lord also said to her:

“You are now pregnant
and you will give birth to a son.
You shall name him Ishmael,
for the Lord has heard of your misery.
He will be a wild donkey of a man;
his hand will be against everyone
and everyone’s hand against him,
and he will live in hostility
toward all his brothers.”

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 16:9-13).

Hagar called God EL ROI–the God who sees me.

God never slumbers, never looks one way while we head off in another, and never misses a millisecond of what happens on earth. He is always available, and never surprised.

The realization that we worship a God who always sees us likely elicits a wide range of emotions. For those hurting and desperate like Hagar, it’s the awesome realization that there is no pit too deep or situation too desperate that our God will not jump in and join us. Psalm 46:1 tells us that God is “an ever-present help” when we are in trouble.

For those who have secrets, it’s the awful realization that there are no secrets and that every breath of our lives is seen by the One who sees us. Hebrews 4:13 says, “Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.”

God’s response to Hagar’s situation speaks to both compassion and conviction.

God Offers Me Peace

When my circumstances offer me heartache and suffering, the God who sees me offers me peace.

If God sees Hagar, then he also sees you. Like Hagar and Ishmael, do you feel rejected? Do you feel mistreated? Have you run to the false gods of substances, pornography, or wrong relationships as a salve to your hurting soul?

None of us are immune from life’s circumstances. Jesus told his followers to expect trouble. Not just to expect trouble, but to expect outright pain and suffering.

Philippians 4:4-7 says, “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

Writer Ann Spangler said, “If you are feeling weak in the face of life’s challenges, the best way to grow strong is to strengthen your commitment to Christ. Decide to obey fully, to follow completely, to keep your eyes fastened on him. Let El Roi take pleasure as he watches over you, and you will soon find your heart stronger and your confidence deeper without quite knowing how it happened.”

God Offers Me Blessing

When I consistently choose faithfulness, the God who sees me offers us blessing.

There’s a danger in knowing that God is “the One who sees me.” You can be deceived into thinking that a God Who Sees Me waits in anticipation for your mistakes so that He can punish you. But, in reality, a God Who Sees Me waits with patience for your faithfulness so that He can bless you.

Holy Scripture assures us God is on the lookout for men and women who are totally committed to him. Why? Because He wants to strengthen their hearts as they serve Him.

“For the eyes of the LORD range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to Him.”

2 Chronicles 16:9

Guardrails Strengthen Our Commitment

In The Disciple Making Pastor, Bill Hull writes, “To believe you can make disciples or develop true maturity in others without some form of accountability is like believing that you can raise children without discipline, run a company without rules, or lead an army without authority. Accountability is to the Great Commission what tracks are to trains.”

EL ROI–the God Who Sees Me. Not keeping track of my wrongs, but patiently waiting for me to choose right. He’s on the lookout for men and women, teens and tweens, who are totally committed to Him. Why? Because He wants to strengthen your heart, and build you up, and in a world of fear and chaos, turn you into a fearless man of strength. A warrior princess with courage. That’s the God who sees me. That’s the God who sees you.