God Sees You
Psalm 139
1O Lord, You have searched me and known me.
2You know my sitting down and my rising up;
You understand my thought afar off.
3You [a]comprehend my path and my lying down,
And are acquainted with all my ways.
4For there is not a word on my tongue,
But behold, O Lord, You know it altogether.
5You have [b]hedged me behind and before,
And laid Your hand upon me.
6Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
It is high, I cannot attain it.
7Where can I go from Your Spirit?
Or where can I flee from Your presence?
8If I ascend into heaven, You are there;
If I make my bed in [c]hell, behold, You are there.
9If I take the wings of the morning,
And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
10Even there Your hand shall lead me,
And Your right hand shall hold me.
11If I say, “Surely the darkness shall [d]fall on me,”
Even the night shall be light about me;
12Indeed, the darkness [e]shall not hide from You,
But the night shines as the day;
The darkness and the light are both alike to You.
13For You formed my inward parts;
You [f]covered me in my mother’s womb.
14I will praise You, for [g]I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
Marvelous are Your works,
And that my soul knows very well.
15My [h]frame was not hidden from You,
When I was made in secret,
And skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.
16Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed.
And in Your book they all were written,
The days fashioned for me,
When as yet there were none of them.
17How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God!
How great is the sum of them!
18If I should count them, they would be more in number than the sand;
When I awake, I am still with You.
19Oh, that You would slay the wicked, O God!
Depart from me, therefore, you [i]bloodthirsty men.
20For they speak against You wickedly;
[j]Your enemies take Your name in vain.
21Do I not hate them, O Lord, who hate You?
And do I not loathe those who rise up against You?
22I hate them with [k]perfect hatred;
I count them my enemies.
23Search me, O God, and know my heart;
Try me, and know my anxieties;
24And see if there is any wicked way in me,
And lead me in the way everlasting.
One of my favorite lines from a movie comes from the first Avatar film. The line simply says, “I see you.” They say it a few times in the film. Truthfully, I wanted to see the movie a second time because I wanted to hear those words again…I see you. Yes, I have seen that movie a few more times.
What made me love the statement was how I understood “I see you.” “I see you” looks beyond the surface and the walls we put up. “I see you” pays attention and listens to you even when you don’t say a word. “I see you” is present. It opens up to be vulnerable because it is a place of intimacy, love. It is a place of truth and acceptance just as you are, but also expects change as you grow and the person grows. It will not allow you to stay the same. “I see you” deals in the place of truth and grace! “I see you” is not about hiding. It draws out the REAL YOU! That’s just a few things.
To see someone, communication, vulnerability, and patience are important. The problem is that somewhere along the way, we have struggled to communicate with each other. I am reading a book by Heather Holleman called The Six Conversations: Pathways to connecting in an age of Isolation and incivility. She tells a story of her sharing, with her advanced writing students, the results of “the Study of Adult Development” … “The research aims to answer a question we all care about deeply: What is the single most contributing factor to a happy life?” The answer is “warm, intimate relationships are the most important prologue to a good life.” (pg. 10) For today’s purpose, “I see you.”
So many people are angry with others because, well, they don’t know them. We accuse and think the worst of people because we are not having conversations to know people. What would happen, if we the church, would “see” one another in church and the community. What if we somehow or another, put effort into having warm, intimate relationships with each other.
As we enter into a new year, let’s see one another. Let’s pray for our bishop, district superintendents, conference staff, pastors, and leaders. Let us see one another as God’s children. Let’s see one another with conversations of hope, overcoming, grace, truth, and love. Let’s see one another being in God’s hand.
Let’s see one another as being on a journey together doing our best to do what God has called us to do. Let us ask God to help us to see one another through His LOVE!
Canal, I see you. I hear your concerns of what will happen. God is the only One I know who sees the ending at the beginning. Let us keep looking upon Jesus who is the Author and Finisher of our faith. Pastors, leaders, and members, let us blanket one another in prayer, deep prayer. Let us pray that God will give us eyes to see, ears to hear, and hearts yielded to God’s will.
God SEES US and KNOWS US! Be of good courage. Stay true and yield to God’s word. Remain prayer. In fact, be steadfast immovable always abounding in the work (word) of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain.
GOD SEES US and LOVES US!
BLESSED NEW YEAR!
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