Loving Guardian

   Have you ever been in a dark place in life, where it felt like God had abandoned you? Or are you perhaps in a place like that right now? Well, God has recorded a story for us in Genesis, about a woman who felt exactly the same way.

   Her name is Hagar, and she is a handmaiden to Sarai, the wife of Abram, to whom God has promised a son. However, Sarai is old, really old, and has not been able to have children, even when she was young! So, Hagar's mistress, Sarai, decides to give Hagar to Abram as another wife, hoping that perhaps God will give him a son, through this younger woman.

   Guess what? It works! Hagar soon finds out that she is going to have a child, the child that Sarai was never able to have, and she gets pretty cocky about it. You see, in that time, it was a disgrace not to be able to bear children, so since Hagar could, she thought that she would rub it in a little. (Okay, probably alot!)

    As I'm sure you can understand, this makes Sarai very upset, and she ends up driving Hagar into the desert, where Hagar finds herself alone, by a spring of water. This is also, where God finds her. Here is what happens next:

Now the Angel of the Lord found her

by a spring of water in the wilderness,

by a spring of water on the way to Shur.

And He said, "Hagar, Sarai's maid, 

where have you come from, 

and where are you going?" She said,

"I am fleeing from my mistress Sarai"

The Angel of the Lord said to her,

"Return to your mistress, and submit

yourself under her hand."

Then the Angel of the Lord said to her,

"I will multiply your descendants exceedingly, 

so that they shall not be counted for multitude."

And the Angel of the Lord said to her:

"Behold, you are with child, and you shall bear a son.

You shall call his name Ishmael, 

because the LORD has heard your affliction.

He shall be a wild man;

His hand shall be against every man, 

and every man's hand against him.

And he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren."

Then she called the name of the LORD who spoke to her,

You-Are-the-God-Who-Sees

   -Genesis 16:7-13a

  Right here, in Genesis 16:13, is the first place that we see today's name of God: El-Roi, which means "The God Who Sees". In the midst of Hagar's darkness, in the midst of her despair, God saw, and brought instruction and a promise to her. 

   I love how is says that God found her. Now, I don't know how that word is supposed to read in the original text, but in English, it brings to mind, the Truth that the Lord is our shepherd, and He seeks out His sheep. 

   I also think it's interesting, that it is partially Hagar's fault that she is out here in the desert. It was Hagar, after all, who turned up her nose at Sarai, and despised her mistress. But just as that didn't stop God from seeking her out, and comforting and instructing her; when we belong to God, our sins don't keep Him from seeking to draw us nearer to Himself. Yes, we may find ourselves in the desert for awhile, seeking a spring that will not satisfy, but God will never give up on us!!!

   Alright, back to my main point! hehe!!! 

  God not only sees us in the desert, He also sees:

1. Our need. Matthew 6:8 says that our Father knows what we have need of, even before we ask! 
2. Our hurt. Psalm 56:8 says that God keeps count of our tossing's, and puts our tears into a bottle! How mind-blowing is that?!?!?!?
3. Our sin.  Proverbs 15:3 says that the eyes of God are in every place, watching the evil and the good; and Psalm 90:8 goes even farther, by saying that our secret sins, are spread out before God! Oops! This one is definitely more uncomfortable, isn't it?
4. Our heart. 1 Samuel 16:7 says that while man looks on the outward appearance, God looks at the heart. This one could go either way. It could be good, if we are like David, or it could be not so good, if we are more like his brothers! 

   I hope that this post, has encouraged you in your walk with God, and perhaps given you a healthy dose of the fear of the Lord! :) I would love for you girls to share some other ways that God sees us, or perhaps, how it makes you feel to know that God is always watching over you! ( Secure, convicted, safe...) I hope that you all have a beautiful day, of drawing nearer to our precious Lord and Savior!!!

  

Covenant Keeper

   Did you know that there are four key names for God in the Bible? Since I can't read the original languages, I certainly didn't! But it is from these four, that the rest of the names we are going to study, stem. They are:

• El
• Elohim
• Adonai
• Jehovah

   Today, we are going to focus on El and Elohim.

  Elohim, is a beautiful word, that represents God's power and might. It is also the very first name, God reveals to us in His Word. (Genesis 1:1 to be exact) The Bible then goes on to use it 2,570 more times!!! So, let's get a break-down of this very first name of God.

   El- "Strong One" [also used at the end of such names as: Dani-el; Isra-el; Samu-el, etc...]
   Ohim- " to swear or bind with an oath or covenant"
   Elohim- "the Strong One Who Keeps His Covenant"

   Wow! Right here, at the very beginning of Scripture, before we read of sin and it's consequences, before we get to meet Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, before we even learn of our own creation: God let's us know that He is faithful to keep His promises!!!

  So what is this covenant that He is keeping? Well there are actually a few that He is keeping:

1. Himself- the eternal covenant relationship between the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. The word Elohim, is a plural word, but is always used with singular verbs and adjectives, making a perfect picture of the unity in the Trinity!
2. All of His Creation.
3. All of His Creatures
4. His Covenant People of Israel. (The one I'm sure that most of you instantly thought of!)

   Isn't this incredible? In this one word, (not to mention, at the very beginning of the Bible), we learn the incredible Truth, that God keeps His promises. It doesn't matter that we continually turn from God's ways, to seek our own, or that we deny Him with our lives, shunning His love- once He has made a promise, nothing, and no one has the power to turn Him from it!

   Oh dear sisters, if you have not accepted the sacrifice of Jesus on your behalf, if you have not given Him your heart and soul in salvation, I pray that you do so today, right now! He has promised that whoever believes in Him, will have eternal life! 

   Let us live securely in this promise, my dear sisters, knowing that God does not depend on us, to keep us; all that we are, is resting in His more than capable hands!!!

(You can read about why it is so important to study the names of God, here)

Why God's Names are Important

  I can't believe that it has been over a month since my last post!!! Well... maybe I can. (sheepish grin)

  However, I have a wonderful series coming up for you girls, that I am very excited about, and that will hopefully make up for my long absence... The Names of God!!! (Forgive me now?)

   I don't know about you, but a few months ago, this topic would not have excited me... at all. I mean sure, I would work up a smile, and an excited 'That sounds fun', but I wouldn't have really meant it. My change of heart has come about in the last few weeks, as I have been learning why God revealed to us these names, and what they say about His heart. (spoiler alert: it's pretty awesome!!!) So without further ado, let's get started!

   Before we really dig in, I want to give you a few reasons why it is so important to study the names of God. This will hopefully lay the ground-work, for the rest of this series, and get you excited about learning even more!
         1.) God chose to reveal them to us. And if you haven't noticed, He always has a great
          reason for everything that He does.
         2.) They each reveal a different aspect of His character. Too many times, I think we get  
          hung up on only one or two aspects of God's character, and forget that He is far beyond
          anything we can imagine!!!
         3.) They add richness to the 'common' Bible stories. I love, love, love, discovering the
          first place God revealed a name to someone. Not only is it like a treasure hunt, but it
          always adds such depth to the story, which in turn, gives us a wonderful backdrop for
          understanding that name and applying it to our own lives.
         4.) God says, that if we seek Him, we shall find Him, when we search for Him with 
              all of our heart. (Jeremiah 29:13)

  I hope that this post has whet your appetite to learn more about God, and that you will be seeking Him with all of your heart as we head into this series.