(From 2011)
“Where can I go from your spirit? from your presence where can I flee? If I go up to the heavens, your are there; if I sink to the nether world, you are present there. ” Psalm 139:-8
All of us carry around hurt within our heart. It may be from long ago, or not quite so long ago. We may have forgiven and tried to forget; we may have filed it away and tried to live our life as if it never occurred. Most of us have the ability to put our hurts behind us and move on. It doesn’t mean the hurt didn’t happen, or it is totally forgotten. It just means we choose to live outside of it.
Years ago God led me to a beautiful book entitled, “Lord, I Want To Know You, by Christian author, Kay Arthur. It is a study of the different names of the Lord. As Kay puts it, “… so that you will know where to run to find help in time of need.” The book highlights the Old Testament Names of God, explaining the meaning of, and giving examples of how they can be used in our everyday lives. It has had a profound effect on me. To this day, I call upon our Lord using many of the names I learned. I find it very comforting.
The name which helps tremendously when dealing with hurt in our lives is El Roi, The God Who Sees. When we choose to move beyond our hurts, we often do so without being truly healed. Something often comes up bringing it to the forefront of our memory. We relive it in our minds and hearts, and then try to move beyond it again. The cycle repeats itself leaving us bewildered and very much alone in our hurt.
Kay Arthur uses the example of Hagar in the Bible. Hagar was the servant of Abram and his wife, Sarai. Because they had no children, Hagar was forced to bear Abram a son, and then suffered the abuse of the jealous, Sarai. When Hagar wanted to run, God instructed her to return into the abuse, and name her son, Ishmael. He promised Hagar that her descendants would be too many to count; Ishmael would lead a great nation!
God asked much of Hagar, for the abuse was not going to stop. She would return to it, live through it, and prosper from it. God had seen all that happened to her, and He would continue to see. As hard as it is to fathom, God would allow the abuse in order to bring about the ultimate good in her life and the lives of others involved. Just like Hagar, we see people today who suffer through all kinds of hurt, mistreatment, and abuse. It comes in many forms: mental, physical, emotional, and many must suffer in total silence. No one knows; no one can help them. We ask how God can allow this and how can there ever be true healing from such evil?
There is no one complete answer. Like Hagar, we must trust in God’s sovereign plan. Then, the place to run with the pain and hurt is El Roi, The God Who Sees. As Kay Arthur points out, He saw the sins committed against you and He will vindicate you, if not in this life, then on the day of judgement. In His sovereign power, if you but trust in Him, He will work out all for your good. He saw, He loves, and He restores.
El Roi can also be a source of constant comfort for parents. Are your teenagers out late? Has a child run away from home? Do you have a child away at college, out on there own for the first time? While you can’t see them, El Roi can. El Roi sees them every minute of every day. Call upon El Roi, and take comfort in The God Who Sees watching over them. Take comfort in knowing He will work all things, even the bad, for the good of those who know and trust Him.
“…you know when I sit and when I stand; you understand my thoughts from afar. My journeys and my rest you scrutinize, with all my ways you are familiar.” Psalm 139:2-3
