I think that it is safe to say that today we all want to be seen, heard and prove we are valuable in the eyes of those before us. It’s amazing at what this desire can do to us! Jealousy rears its ugly head and comparison becomes a tool to one-up those around us. If we can all be honest with each other, it’s not so much about exploiting the next person or even getting ahead but more so of exposing a deep-seated hurt, fear or lie.  We try to bury our ugly or hide behind walls we build up, but we fail to realize our best defenses tend to crack and expose the pain or struggle within.

In reading through Genesis and Exodus it is revealed that nothing has changed when it comes to the human race. We see the following take place:

• Jealousy between women and brothers on more than one account.
• Deceptions and manipulations for the sake of birthrights and personal wealth/gain.
• Pride – lots of pride.
• Slavery and killings ordered out of fear and the desire to control others. (Today would include slander, bullying, labeling etc all to keep someone in slavery or to control them.)
• We see idols crafted to worship to in place of God; which today could be money, lust, beauty, personal wealth, etc. Anything that takes precedence or replaces God is an idol.

There you have it; same ugliness different time. It’s no wonder we doubt if God sees us in our hardships and struggles.  There is so much we don’t know or understand but I’m going to be brave and say the angst and doubts we feel towards God begin within our own hearts. If what Luke 6:45 says is true then this would also reflect our beliefs and attitudes not only towards God but to others. When we are so focused on the negative or disappointments endured we can’t see truth let alone His guiding hand.  I’m finding over and over in scripture that not only did He see the injustices, He knew them and He heard the cries of those suffering. For instance:

• The Lord observed the extent of human wickedness (Genesis 6:5; 6:12)
• God remembers (Genesis 8)
• He keeps his promises (Genesis 16)
• He provides and is compassionate (Genesis 21:8-21)
• He sees the good done in others (Exodus 1:15-21)
• He sees the oppression of his children (Exodus 3:7)
• He hears the cry of his people (Exodus 3:7-10)
• He knows the heart of His children (Noah, Joseph, Moses, etc)

From Genesis all the way to Revelation the list goes on and on! What comfort to know that He is present in all things! Be encouraged today! You are seen, heard and known! He knows your triggers, failures, past hurts, the things done to others and He also knows when you are running. He has a way to reach you; a place where He wants to meet you and sometimes that comes in the form of taking you back to what you are running from.

Maybe it’s the fear of failure, not wanting to get hurt again, being passed over for any reason, wondering if your voice matters or being seen as valuable to those around you.

Maybe you feel you deserve the pain and hardships and you want others to feel the same way. So you tend to tear others down rather than encourage them. Maybe you seek to manipulate those you feel are a threat by controlling/distorting the view others have through harsh words and opinions that spread like cancer among the people.

And maybe just maybe you are tired of the fight and feel as though you can do nothing, are nothing and will never be anything that you lose all hope. After all that’s what you have been told all of your life might as well live it.

If we are being honest, we know these are true and have either felt and acted out in one way or another but they should not distort our view of God.

We can choose to believe that what happens to us or what we do to others doesn’t matter to God. He says differently! I’m learning that whether in my full on ugly mode or the pleading for justice, He sees! He hears! He knows and He provides in all things and through all things. I know this is true because God cannot lie about himself.

2 Chronicles 16:9 says, “For the eyes of the LORD roam throughout the earth to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is fully devoted to him.” When we focus on ourselves and how we expect Him to react we will always be disappointed.  This is also true in our relationships with others.  We can’t place an expectation on another by the way we think they should handle a situation. We must be able to see with different eyes, hear with different ears and know what’s at the heart of the matter. You see, it’s never how we look or expect to find God in any given situation, but it’s in how we see that He is revealed.