Beer-Lahai-Roi and the God Who Sees
There he was, hands over his face, counting “one, two, three...” Small in stature and uttering the words as best as a two-year-old could muster, he was delighted to go and find his mamma. My grandson’s delightful game of hide-and-seek reminded me of the God who sees. This theme has captured my heart, as I think about life and this walk of faith. “We walk by faith and not by sight.” (2 Cor. 5:7). We will see Jesus one day, face to face, but in the meantime, we truly do walk by faith, not by sight. Sometimes that faith is strong, having the “assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” Yet, sometimes our faith is weak, wavering in the face of hardship. We cry with the desperate father of Mark 9, “I believe, Lord; help my unbelief.” Sometimes our faith is that of a mustard seed, and frankly that is all we can muster.
What are we to make of these times in our lives, when it seems our faith would fail?[1] Remember the God who sees. We don’t see clearly, but God sees. “For now, we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face...” (1 Cor. 13:12). One day our faith will be sight, but not yet. God sees, and that is enough. God saw Hagar, a pregnant outcast, mistreated by Sarai. In the wilderness by a spring, God found her, revealing Himself to her in her suffering. The Lord spoke to her and she responded, “You are a God of seeing,” and, “Truly here I have seen Him who looks after me.” She called the place Beer Lahai Roi – the well of the Living One who sees me (Gen. 16:1-16). The “well of the Living One.” Doesn’t that remind you of Jesus, our living water? Because of His life, death and resurrection we have gained access to God by faith. He is the living one, the very water of life. By faith in Him, we have peace with God and a sure confidence that our God is a God who sees us, not in judgement but in care and compassion. While we walk by faith this side of glory, we walk before our God who sees.
When Moses stood before the Lord at the burning bush, God said, “I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering” (Ex. 3:7). Just like Hagar, God saw the suffering of His people and met them in their distress, providing deliverance in His time. Our God is a God who sees our distress, meeting us in our suffering, providing deliverance in His time.
In reading through the Psalms, it is apparent that one of the marks of unbelief is the conviction that God does not see. Similar to my grandson closing his eyes to count for a game of hide-and-seek is the small child who covers his eyes and declares, “You can’t see me!” The unbeliever shuts his eyes to the clear revelation of God, blind to the beauty of God right in front of him.[2] In his foolishness, he wanders about as though God does not see him. But God does see. He knows. Psalm 10 tells of the unbeliever who says in his heart there is no God (Ps. 10:4). In reality he knows God exists, later acknowledging, “God has forgotten; He has hidden His face; He will never see it” (Ps. 10:11). Then the psalmist emphatically declares, “You have seen it...you have been the helper of the orphan.” Similarly, in Psalm 94, the psalmist says of those trapped in unbelief, “They have said, ‘The Lord does not see, nor does the God of Jacob pay heed.’” Then he asks the striking question, “He who planted the ear, does He not hear? He who formed the eye, does He not see?” Yes, our God is a God who sees!
But too often we don’t see what God is doing in our lives. His ways are hidden from us. Job felt that way.
If I go east, He is not there, and if I go west, I cannot perceive Him. When He is at work to the north, I cannot see Him; when He turns south, I cannot find Him. Yet He knows the way I have taken; when He has tested me, I will emerge as pure gold.
Job 23:8-10
Don’t you love Job’s confidence? He acknowledged his own lack of perception, but that didn’t negate his confidence in the work that God was doing behind the scenes. Yet He knows the way I have taken, and when He has tested me, I will emerge as pure gold.
What are we to do when God feels far away, His ways are hidden from us, and our faith is hanging on by a thread? Consider these five R’s:
1. Remember the God who sees you. He knows the way you take, and when He has tried you, you shall come forth as gold (Job 23:10). Just because you cannot see Him, you can know that He is there, powerfully at work in your life. He sees you. He knows your suffering. He knows what He is doing. Trust Him. Trust that His heart is for you.
2. Rest in the finished work of Jesus. Your walk does not depend on the strength of your faith but on the One who has accomplished all things for you. Even if the faith of a mustard seed is all you can muster, rest in Jesus, the One who says, “Come unto me all you who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest...” (Matt. 11:28).
3. Refuse to be like the unbeliever who says, “God does not see.” As a child who doesn’t understand all of the decisions of a parent for his good, trust the heart of your Father. He sees, and He is at work. Refuse to remain in unbelief, thinking that God does not see.
4. Renew your faith in the Lord. That faith of a mustard seed is meant to grow. In your discouragement, seek help from your church, a godly friend, or a counselor who will point you to Jesus. You are not meant to walk this broken road alone. In the community of God’s people, find renewal.
5. Refocus on your God who sees. Refocus on Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of your faith who endured all things for you (Heb. 12:1-3). Refocus on your sympathetic Savior, who was tempted in all ways as you are and yet was without sin (Heb. 4:14-16). Refocus on unseen realities, for that which is seen is passing away but the unseen realities are eternal (2 Cor. 4:16-18).
Remember Jesus’s encouragement to doubting Thomas, the one who needed to see in order to believe. “You see and believe, but blessed are those who don’t see and yet believe” (Jn. 20). As we walk this road of faith, let us be believing, seeing with the eyes of faith. One day, our faith will be sight. Until that day, let it be enough that the place where you are is Beer-Lahai-Roi - the well of the Living One who sees me.
God is always doing 10,000 things in your life, and you may be aware (see) three of them.[3] – John Piper
[1] A reference to the song “He Will Hold Me Fast” by Keith & Kristyn Getty and Selah.
[2] Matthew Barrett, God’s Word Alone, (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2016), p. 157.
[3] https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/god-is-always-doing-10000-things-in-your-life
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