November 23, 2009

“She answered God by name, praying to the God who spoke to her, ‘You’re the God who sees me! Yes, He saw me, and then I saw him. ” Genesis 16:13 The Message

What does God see in your life …?

God rarely shows up in the places where you have planned to meet Him. He shows up at the places where He will meet with you … the places where you feel hopeless .. helpless .. confused .. uncertain .. at the point of giving up .. places where you think your faith is weak or wavering. And He doesn’t wait for you to clean up your life so you can meet him on your terms .. looking your best .. feeling strong and healthy. He does show up at planned moments. He even meets you when everything is all cleaned up and in working order. But .. the faith-building God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob .. and Hagar is also the faith-building God who meets you in your deserts .. your wanderings .. your hiding places. He sees every moment .. every act .. every step along the way. God knows exactly what you are capable of doing on your own. He knows exactly what living out of your own strength will produce in your heart and spirit. He knows .. and He is not going to force you. He wants a relationship of trust .. hope .. and believing .. in the hard places and in the smooth places. He just knows that you’re more receptive to His help .. His grace .. His never-leave-you promise when the world you live in seeks to overwhelm you. Jesus offered living water to a soul-thirsty .. soul-scarred .. soul-weary woman at a well. It is the same offer He has for you today. It only takes a moment …

“When everything was hopeless, Abraham believed anyway, deciding to live not on the basis of what he saw he couldn’t do but on what God said he would do…” Romans 4:18 The Message

Ken Chester: Grace-Gripped is sent M-F to Desert-Wandering-City-Dwellers following Jesus and friends of Priority One (ken@priorityone.org)