Genesis 16:13

You are the God who sees me,” for she said, “I have now seen the One who sees me.

PRAYER

Lord God, Thank you for seeing me. For Knowing me. And for loving me. Your word is strength and power. Let it refresh and restore me in the desert places.

In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Additional Devotions

To all the moms…single or not…God sees you, loves you, and knows you at the deepest level. I pray you have a wonderful day in knowing you are HIS.

I do believe being a mother is the absolute hardest job ever. Thankless. Payless. Often sleepless. And no owners manual to reference.

Then there’s the single part! The part many of us didn’t sign up for. But regardless of our marital status, we are overextended and overworked. Long days at work run into long nights at home as we toggle between being a referee and short order cook, tutor and maid, mom and dad.

It’s exhausting and exhilarating. Yet, sometimes we just want someone to see us. Really see us. See our effort. See how strong our heart beats for our children. See the sacrifices we make, the hard choices we grapple with, and the prayers prayed in the dark of night.

Hagar must have felt the same. Her story, although quite dicey and scandalous, gives us insight into the God that sees us. You can read the full account in Genesis 16,17, & 21. But as it applies to us, she became a single mom who was unloved and rejected by the only family she knew.

Like many of us, she didn’t choose her situation; it was chosen for her. So when she was turned out of her home and forced to wander with her son in the desert—everything she had come to depend on for safety and sustenance taken away—she gave up hope. 

Scripture says Hagar cried out to God, “Do not let me see the boy die.” And she sat opposite him, and lifted up her voice and wept.” It was in this place of hopelessness and destitution that God made himself known—His provision, His compassion, His power to save.

Genesis 21 tells us that an angel of the Lord responded and told her that God heard her and her son crying out. Verse 19 describes how God opened her eyes and she saw a well of water appear in the desert. Even though God had been with her the entire time, it was here that God made himself known. It was here that Hagar not only saw God, but she knew He was seeing her.

Do you need God to see you today? What cry of you heart needs to be heard? Have you placed a child, a hope for the future, a dream for a better life under a tree of defeat? Do you need a fresh word of hope, a renewed spirit of possibility in a place of deep hunger and desperate thirst?

Although I can’t promise your kids, your family or even your friends will truly see you and your efforts this mother’s day, God sure does. He sees you. He sees all of you. His heart beats strong for you, and His sacrifice, unmatched.

Today, I want the truth of scripture to wash over you. To be the well of healing water in your desert place. We are mother’s on a mission, and we need the Word of God daily to live the lives we are called to live. So sit back and feed on the feast of Truth and be blesses by the God that truly sees you…

Jeremiah 1:5a; “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart…”

1 John 3:1a; “See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!…”

1 Peter 2:9; “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light”

Romans 5:8; “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

Isaiah 43:5; “Do not be afraid for I am with you; I will bring your children from the east and gather you from the west. I will say to the north, ‘Give them up!’ and to the south, ‘Do not hold them back.’ Bring my sons from afar, and my daughters from the ends of the earth.”

Isaiah 49:15b-16; “…I will not forget you! See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are ever before me.”

Titus 3:4-7;  “But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.”

Zephaniah 3:17; “The LORD your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing.”

Psalm 147:13-14; “He strengthens the bars of your gates and blesses your people within you. He grants peace to your borers and satisfies you with the finest of wheat.”

Song of Solomon 4:7; “You are altogether beautiful, my darling; there is no flaw in you.”

Exodus 33:14; “…My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”

Reflect and Respond:

This week I’d love for you to take some time just for you. Steal a few moments here and there to bathe in the goodness of our God. Let these moments strengthen and heal you from the journey you’ve walked so far, and for the journey up ahead.

Hugs for a great week and remember, you are not alone. Be blessed in knowing you are seen.