Precious mommy friend, this devotional is going to be a little bit different from the ones I usually write. I don’t have a story involving one of my kids to share; I don’t have anything funny to say. But I do have a word from the Lord which He wants me to share, so that in the writing of it I may be encouraged, and in the reading of it, you may be.
In the Bible, God reveals Himself in many ways, often through one of His names which is especially relevant to the situation. The name I want to focus on this week is El-Roi, the God Who Sees.
In Genesis 16, Hagar recognizes God as El-Roi because He responded to her in her time of extreme need. Therefore, she knew He must have seen her in her despair. And because there is no shadow of turning with God, we can know that He sees us, too. He sees us not only in our times of suffering or difficulty, but always. He is intimately aware of even the smallest details of our lives.
So may I offer you some words of encouragement this week? Some ways in which God might see you as you go about your mothering?
When you’re so tired you’d give anything for just fifteen more minutes of sleep…when you can’t remember the last time you slept a solid eight hours…when weariness is coloring your world in shades of gray…God sees.
When you carve time out of your day to spend preparing a nice meal, only to have your kids reject it…God sees.
When you’re awake—again—in the middle of the night, feeding a hungry baby, and it feels like you’re all alone in the world…God sees.
Or when it’s the middle of the day, and you’re lonely because you haven’t had time for a good, long phone conversation with your best friend, much less time for a lunch date, because you’ve been busy mothering…God sees.
When you clean up vomit or give another dose of cough medicine at 3 a.m….God sees.
When you do the best you can, and it’s still a horrible day…God sees.
When you need a friend…
When you need encouragement…
When you need strength…
When you need sleep…
When you spend all day doing things that no one notices (though they would certainly notice if you didn’t do them), remember…God sees.
Friend, you do not walk alone. God walks with you every step of the way. He sees what you do for your family, which is ultimately what you do for Him. He knows how hard it can be. He knows that sometimes, being a mom doesn’t seem so great. He knows we sometimes have to struggle for patience, for creativity, or for endurance. He knows it’s hard to be a great mom on four hours’ sleep…or when you’re going it alone…or when other circumstances in your life are crowding in.
But best of all, not only does He know, He cares.
Just as “listening” involves hearing, but is so much more, I believe that in this passage, “God sees” refers to the reality that He both sees and cares. And as if that weren’t enough, He does something about our struggles, just as He did for Hagar. He comes to us. What an incredible encouragement to know that God has chosen to be with us—in us—as we live our lives!
Try something this week. As you go throughout your days, remember that God is El-Roi, the God Who Sees. In your spectacular moments, in your mundane moments, and in everything in between, He sees. He cares. He loves.
I can think of nothing more incredible than that.
Be encouraged, dear friend.
Genesis 16:13– 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.”