God Sees You

By Beth Robinson

When I was fifteen, my granddad was hospitalized. When I went to visit him, he was screaming, and my mom wouldn’t let me go into his room. I sat in the hall and listened as he cried out in desperation. I heard every word.

“Jesus, dear Jesus. I want to come home. Jesus, please release me from this body. I want to come home, dear Jesus.”

I listened to those words echo down the hall over and over. I now realize that my granddad had the same desire as Paul “to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far” (Philippians 1:23). Grandpa had been paralyzed and had suffered for years. He was a man of faith who believed God was with him.

I am reminded of Hagar, who fled from Sarai into the desert. My granddad must have felt as if he had been left in the desert. When Hagar was in the desert, the angel of the Lord told her, “Go back to your mistress and submit to her” (Genesis 16:9). The angel promised Hagar that her descendants would be “too numerous to count” (Genesis 16:10). After Hagar’s encounter with the angel, she said, “You are the God who sees me” (Genesis 16:13).

When we are grieving, we may feel like we are in the desert. Yet it is when we are there that we can see God clearly. Hagar realized that while she was in the desert. She said, “I have now seen the One who sees me” (Genesis 16:13). In our grief, we can more clearly see God because he meets us in the desert to provide guidance and comfort.

God does not abandon us. While our family and friends may abandon us, God stays with us every step of the way. In John 14:18, Jesus promised, “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.” Although we may not feel like God is with us, we have to remember that “faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see” (Hebrews 11:1).

When we are grieving and our hearts are crying out for comfort, God is there. He understands what we are experiencing. God comforts us (see 2 Corinthians 1:2–4). When we turn to God and pour out our hearts in grief, God reaches out and provides comfort to us—even when our friends and family cannot understand our heartache. Prayer provides an avenue for us to open our hearts to God.

God sees you. He’s listening. Even when you can’t find the words, he hears you.

God, I feel so alone. I don’t know how I can cope. Please comfort me and help me know that you see me and love me. Amen.

________

Taken from When Grief Goes Deep: Where Healing Begins, edited by Timothy J. Beals. Click here to learn more about his book.

When you're going through a season of grief, it's hard to fathom that there will be a day when you won't be hurting. Throughout Scripture we are taught to humble ourselves and love one another because empathy is born from loving our neighbor. If you've ever experienced loss, you're able to help others turn their grief into grace and create hope and purpose from what feels devastating and heartbreaking.

When Grief Goes Deep, Where Healing Begins is a devotional that helps those mourning. It helps you:

• build from "lasts," those cherished memories of your life with your loved one.
• remember that they're not alone.
• understand that it's okay to be sad and learn how to process feelings in a healthy way.

The collection of devotions and prayers warmly offers inspiration and hope based in God's Word and his promises to those who have experienced loss. Each devotion includes a Scripture verse and a prayer for healing.

Timothy J. Beals serves as the president and chief solution officer of Credo Communications, LLC. Author of numerous articles, magazine features, and devotional pieces, Beals, holds degrees from both Cornerstone University and Western Michigan University and has held leadership positions at both Zondervan and World Vision. Beals resides in Grand Rapids, Michigan.