Seeing is Believing

The nightly news is a reminder of what’s wrong in the world. Sometimes it’s all I can do to not turn the channel. The issue for me isn’t a lack of care, however. It’s the helpless feeling of not knowing how to be a part of a solution. It’s hard to see and not feel. The challenge is knowing what to do about what we see.

Then there’s the people we come across who are really passionately concerned about something you didn’t realize was a problem? Or, perhaps something affects us that way? Ever have a conviction that seemed like few others shared? We/they want to raise awareness, educate the ignorant, and push for change but often find others less than willing to do something about it. I wonder if, maybe, that’s God stirring in us. I tend to think this is part of how God might invite and involve us in healing the world.

From the Beginning, we discover the nature of God throughout the Hebrew Scripture – God the Creator, Deliverer, Provider, Healing, Protector. The first time we meet the God who Sees – Beer Lahai Roi – is with Abram, Sarai and a servant, Hagar in Genesis16. Taking God’s promise of “you (Abram) will be the Father of many nations”, she expedites the process by inserting her servant, Hagar, as part of the fulfillment of said promise (After all, God didn’t say who the mother of all those nations would be.). It worked but it didn’t feel like she thought it would. From jealousy to resentment to abuse, Hagar finds herself in the desert with child having given up on life. And still God is within reach. God sees the abuse, despair, vulnerability, and desperation. He’s anything but afar, nothing but concerned. Despite being present, they meet. I love her confession, “I have now seen the One who sees me.”

I believe that God sees past, present, & future. And because he sees, I believe he hears, cares, acts, and grieves. We often look around at our lives and this world wondering, “where’s God in…?” Or, “If God is so loving, caring, or present, how could he let that happen?” We feel like God should be more active. We are tempted to doubt his care.

But…What if a large part of what we feel about injustice, greed, scarcity, abuse, wealth, accomplishment is supposed to help us see what God sees?

I think our emotions are supposed to help us experience something, something that God already sees and wants to remedy.

God sees the war in Iraq, genocide, child soldiers, human trafficking and child prostitution. He sees the face of poverty and the vulnerable. He sees the activity in Oval Office as well as our home offices, mistakes to be made, careers to be chosen, accidents about to happen, accidents that should’ve happened, runaways living on their own, prodigals far from home. God sees what we see and then some.

God also Sees our debt, our addiction, our hypocrisy, the abuse, lack of care, and our tears. He sees our discipline, extra effort, integrity, anonymous contribution, compassion, and generosity. He is the God who Sees.

Maybe we can say it this way, we see because God sees. The question is, what do we do with what moves us? Perhaps what we see and feel is God’s invitation is to be a part of a solution.