I cannot see God; Does He see me?

It is Monday again….

You have snoozed your alarm three times now and have no motivation to get up. The thought of going over the same routine is exhausting. Somehow you made yourself believe you enjoy the ordinary days but deep down you are getting tired of the same old ways.

It´s been months of the same rhythm and you already know how the melody goes:

1. Wake up and try not to check your phone right away.
2. Make the bed and follow the same pillow arrangement.
3. Make some coffee and grab your favorite mug that you’ve had for years now.
4. Breakfast is served on the same plate and there is nothing fancy about it.

The list goes on and you wonder if God is present in these mundane activities. I cannot see God; Does He see me?

What if God uses an ordinary cup of coffee?

In a season of frustration, I once told God I wanted to see Him. Surely, I had prayed for this before, but this time I wanted to see the Lord´s hand at work in my life in an extraordinary way. Little did I know what was in store for me.

One thing God exposes right away is the motivation behind my prayer: I want to see Him on my terms. It is easy to notice God´s presence in your life when everything makes sense and seems to be working just fine. We love seeing God’s favor in the big events of life such as weddings, birthdays, new job offers, trips and conferences, full-ride scholarships, accomplishments, and tangible results.

Noticing God´s faithfulness and giving thanks are easy things do to when He works things out the way you expect. In other words, we have the tendency to box God in. We bound His ways to our earthly rules and human understanding and we get rapidly discouraged when otherwise.

Surely God cannot use situations that appear too evil, too messy, or too irrelevant one would think. The reality is, that whenever we ask to see God, He will wrestle with us and expose our inability to do anything apart from Him.

He will remind us that Jesus gives us His very body and blood in the bread and wine we receive at the table. He gave us His Spirit to dwell among us and in us. And the preaching of His very word produces faith in us whenever we hear it.

So that when we go out and live our normal lives, we see Him everywhere.

When I asked God, I wanted to see Him, I got a call from my best friend who listened when I needed it most. When I asked Him to show me His favor, my husband made coffee for me in the same old coffee mug and it tasted better than ever. When I questioned His presence, He painted the sky with the most beautiful sunset.

So yes, God can use an ordinary cup of coffee to remind us of His unfailing love. He also works with dirty laundry, a bench at a park, work reports, a college dorm, the commute to work, a FaceTime call, quiet mornings, unexpected friendships, you name it.

Key notes

• Whenever we ask to see God, He will wrestle with us and expose our inability to do anything apart from Him.
• The places and events we ignore are often the vehicles God uses to fulfill His purposes.
• The Lord remains faithful to us even when we fail and forget who He is. No situation is too messy or life too ordinary for the Lord to manifest His love to His children.
• Go about your simple routine with expectancy. You may not see God but He sees you.

Hagar; a woman seen by God

We cannot talk about seeing God in our midst without mentioning the story of Hagar. Hagar wasn’t just a woman who met God. She was an Egyptian servant cast out found by the Lord in her affliction. If you don’t know much about this story, let me set the scene for you.

Abram is childless and in need of an heir – God gives Abram the promise of a son and a great descendance through him – Sarai, Abram’s wife, takes matters into her hands and offers Hagar (her servant) to be Abram’s wife. Surely this is how God will fulfill His promise – Hagar conceives a child and no longer feels like “just a servant” – Sarai gets upset and “deals with Hagar harshly” (Genesis 15, 16: 1-6).

I know it feels wrong to explain such a powerful story in less than 100 words but I want us to focus on the next scene: Hagar in the wilderness.

Hagar has enough of Sarai’s treatment and decides to escape to the wilderness and this is what happens:

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.”  (Gen 17:7-9).

Did you notice some interesting contrasts?

What we expect	What the Lord actually does
Hagar is looking for the Lord.	The Lord found Hagar.
The Lord does something extravagant to meet Hagar.	God sees her at her lowest by an ordinary spring of water.
The Lord ignores affliction. He does not know what is going on.	The Lord wants to hear about Hagar´s situation. He already knows what is happening and yet He asks questions.
The Lord feels bad for Hagar and encourages her to escape.	The Lord asks Hagar to go back and submit to Sarai. He addressed Hagar as the servant of Sarai and asked her to return and obey.
The Lord condemns Hagar.	Hagar isn´t dismissed without first getting a promise from the Lord.

The story continues:

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. (Gen 17:10-11).

God uses a messy marital situation to speak to an Egyptian servant and gives her a promise. How about that? The places and events we ignore are often the vehicles God uses to fulfill his purposes. He had been with Hagar all along.

What does this story have to do with me?

You may not be a pregnant Egyptian servant but think of these questions: Have you ever experienced affliction? Have you ever questioned God´s faithfulness? Have you ever wondered if God really sees your tears in isolation? If your answer is yes, then this story has everything to do with you.

The beauty of Hagar´s story is that God is the one who does the heavy lifting for us in our struggles. He finds us. He comes exactly where we are and speaks to us. He calls us by name. He asks questions and listens. He gives unfailing promises.

We may not always see what the Lord is doing for us because we are easily moved by the circumstances of this life. But guess what? Every time we escape to the wilderness in complete despair, the Lord will pursue us and remind us of His promises.

Only a few chapters after Hagar´s encounter with the Lord, she is let go by Abraham and left alone in the wilderness. Now with Ishmael in the picture, Hagar falls apart, lifts up her voice and weeps (Gen 21:14-16)

But in that moment, the Lord meets her once again and says: “What troubles you, Hagar? Fear not, for God has heard the voice of the boy where he is. (Gen 21:17-18)

The Lord remains faithful to us even when we fail and forget who He is. No situation is too messy or life too ordinary for the Lord to manifest His love to His children.

His ways might seem confusing to you. He may show up when you least expect it. He may use that neighbor you often ignore or that simple task you dread every time. The Lord will not work on your terms but He is always seeing and listening.

So, go and enjoy your morning routine. Do the dishes and complete that school report with great expectancy. Meet with your friend at the park and make the best cup of coffee you can. You may not see God in your midst but you bet He has been there all along.

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My Prayer for You

“Dear Father, I pray for the woman who is struggling to be contempt where you have her. I pray for the woman who is in affliction and cannot see you. May she get reminded of your promises through Jesus Christ. Be a refuge and a shelter for her and may she be comforted in the truth that she is loved and known by You. In Jesus Christ your Son. Amen”

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For Reflection

Read Psalm 139.

1. Think of an aspect of yourself or your life that you have struggled to accept. How might viewing this aspect as part of God’s intentional purpose for you transform your perception?
2. Think of a time when you felt isolated or misunderstood. How did your acknowledgment of God’s presence change your view of this experience?