It is part of God\u2019s iden\u00adti\u00adty and natu\u00adre that he is a God who sees us. The\u00adre is truth and free\u00addom in his gaze. He sees you and your life com\u00adple\u00adte\u00adly dif\u00adfer\u00adent\u00adly from how other peo\u00adp\u00adle see you. We can hold on to this fact. Every day anew we may detach our\u00adsel\u00adves from the human gaze and place our\u00adsel\u00adves com\u00adple\u00adte\u00adly under the gaze of God.<\/p>\n
When my hus\u00adband and I do sport, we take gre\u00adat care to wear our sports wat\u00adches and switch them on and off at the right moment. The sports watch helps to make pro\u00adgress visi\u00adble, it helps to train in a tar\u00adge\u00adted way and also gives an over\u00adview of are\u00adas that need to be impro\u00adved. Now my hus\u00adband and I are real\u00adly not ambi\u00adtious ath\u00adle\u00adtes. Nevert\u00adhel\u00adess, we wear the watch for a very important reason. At the end of the work\u00adout, you can take a pic\u00adtu\u00adre of your per\u00adfor\u00admance and share it with someone. Becau\u00adse, I don\u2019t know if it\u2019s com\u00admon know\u00adledge, but wit\u00adhout such a pro\u00adof, the sport does\u00adn\u2019t count! It only counts when I can show it to someone. If you for\u00adget the watch, the sport was for nothing. \tWhat fee\u00adlings does the name of God El Roi, a God who sees me, trig\u00adger in you? Only joy or also doubts whe\u00adther this real\u00adly appli\u00ades to you per\u00adso\u00adnal\u00adly or even dis\u00adcom\u00adfort, becau\u00adse that means that God also sees your dark sides? It is part of God\u2019s iden\u00adti\u00adty and natu\u00adre that he is a God who sees us. The\u00adre is truth and free\u00addom in his gaze. He sees you and your life com\u00adple\u00adte\u00adly dif\u00adfer\u00adent\u00adly to how other peo\u00adp\u00adle see you. We can hold on to this fact. Every day anew, we are allo\u00adwed to detach our\u00adsel\u00adves from the human gaze and completely\u2026<\/p>","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":7600,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","wpfc_preacher":[97],"wpfc_sermon_series":[90],"wpfc_sermon_topics":[],"wpfc_bible_book":[],"wpfc_service_type":[12],"class_list":["wpfc_preacher-cornelia-roth","wpfc_sermon_series-heilig-heilig-heilig","wpfc-sermon-single","post-7585","wpfc_sermon","type-wpfc_sermon","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","wpfc_service_type-gottesdienst"],"acf":[],"sermons_blog_filters_topics":"\t\t\t\t
\nThe God who sees me
\nIn gene\u00adral, an expe\u00adri\u00adence is worth so much more if we can share it on Insta\u00adgram or at least in a fami\u00adly chat. I think this is a cha\u00adrac\u00adte\u00adristic that we see in child\u00adren in par\u00adti\u00adcu\u00adlar, but that we don\u2019t lose as we get older. We want to be seen. We want to be actively reco\u00adg\u00adnis\u00aded. For this reason, I can well ima\u00adgi\u00adne that the cur\u00adrent mot\u00adto for the year trig\u00adgers some\u00adthing in many peo\u00adp\u00adle. It is found in Gene\u00adsis 13 and reads: \u00abYou are a God who sees me!\u00bb. I some\u00adti\u00admes find it a shame when ver\u00adses are taken out of con\u00adtext to make them sound bet\u00adter and, as in this case, are dra\u00adsti\u00adcal\u00adly shor\u00adten\u00aded. The begin\u00adning and end of the ver\u00adse were sim\u00adply omit\u00adted from the annu\u00adal mot\u00adto. On the one hand, not so bad, becau\u00adse the ver\u00adse actual\u00adly con\u00adta\u00adins a main mes\u00adsa\u00adge of the chap\u00adter and tea\u00adches us some\u00adthing about the cha\u00adrac\u00adter of God. But belie\u00adve me, this state\u00adment takes on so much more weight when we look at it in con\u00adtext! Abra\u00adham is cal\u00adled by God, from him God\u2019s cho\u00adsen, set-apart, holy peo\u00adp\u00adle are to ari\u00adse. Now in order for Abra\u00adham to beco\u00adme a peo\u00adp\u00adle, the very first step is to have a des\u00adcen\u00addant. Howe\u00adver, Abra\u00adham and his wife Sarah have no child\u00adren. Both are alre\u00ada\u00addy rela\u00adtively old. When Abra\u00adham is in his mid-80s, his wife Sarah sug\u00adgests that he father a child with her maid. This endea\u00advour was a very nor\u00admal and legi\u00adti\u00adma\u00adte pro\u00adce\u00addu\u00adre at the time. We see the same thing again a few chap\u00adters later with Jacob. Some of his child\u00adren do not come from Rachel and Leah, his wives, but from their maid\u00adser\u00advants. This does not even seem to be an obs\u00adta\u00adcle for God, becau\u00adse the\u00adse four sons each beco\u00adme fathers of one of the 12 tri\u00adbes of Isra\u00adel, just like their brot\u00adhers. Fur\u00adther\u00admo\u00adre, Abra\u00adham was pro\u00admi\u00adsed seve\u00adral times that a gre\u00adat nati\u00adon would ari\u00adse from him, but not expli\u00adcit\u00adly that this would hap\u00adpen with Sarah. To be honest, I under\u00adstand their beha\u00adviour in view of the fact that they have been wai\u00adting for 15 years for the pro\u00admi\u00adse to be ful\u00adfil\u00adled. Sarah has sug\u00adgested it and Abra\u00adham lis\u00adtens to his wife. He sleeps with Hagar, the Egyp\u00adti\u00adan slave, and she imme\u00addia\u00adte\u00adly beco\u00admes pregnant. As you can see, Hagar has not\u00adhing to say about it. In the end, as a young, for\u00adeign, ens\u00adlaved woman, she is raped by an old man. What is cer\u00adtain\u00adly par\u00adti\u00adcu\u00adlar\u00adly ter\u00adri\u00adble about this is that this hap\u00adpens not only despi\u00adte her faith but, accor\u00adding to Abra\u00adham and Sarah, pre\u00adcis\u00ade\u00adly becau\u00adse of her faith in God and his pro\u00admi\u00adses. How ter\u00adri\u00adble must Hagar have felt at that moment? It then seems all the more human and nor\u00admal to us that Hagar, when she rea\u00adli\u00adses she is pregnant, starts to get back at Sarah. She began to look down on Sarah and pay litt\u00adle atten\u00adti\u00adon to her. This went so far that Sarah asked Abra\u00adham for per\u00admis\u00adsi\u00adon to do wha\u00adte\u00adver she wan\u00adted with Hagar. Sarah began to oppress Hagar and Hagar fled into the desert. She was on her way back to her home in Egypt. Put yours\u00adelf in Hagar\u2019s shoes for a moment. She is sold as a slave from her home\u00adland. She is then raped by her mas\u00adters \u00abin the name of God\u00bb. Through the child insi\u00adde her, she rea\u00adli\u00adses for the first time that she has value. But then it is made clear to her once again that she is not\u00adhing more than a slave. She is of no importance as a per\u00adson! Pregnant, she sets off alo\u00adne on a long and dan\u00adge\u00adrous jour\u00adney in the hope that things will be bet\u00adter for her in her home\u00adland. Her pro\u00ads\u00adpects were not par\u00adti\u00adcu\u00adlar\u00adly good and this shows how dif\u00adfi\u00adcult it must have been for her with Abra\u00adham and Sarah. At this low point in her life, she has an encoun\u00adter with God. \u00abAnd the angel of the LORD<\/span> found her by a spring of water in the wil\u00adder\u00adness, by the spring on the way to Shur. And he said, \u00abHagar, hand\u00admaid of Sarai, whe\u00adre have you come from and whe\u00adre are you going? And she said, \u00abI am fle\u00ade\u00ading from Sarai my mistress. Then the angel of the LORD<\/span> said to her, \u00abReturn to your mistress and hum\u00adble yours\u00adelf in her hands. And the angel of the LORD<\/span> said to her: I will mul\u00adti\u00adply your des\u00adcen\u00addants so much that they will not be num\u00adbe\u00adred for multi\u00adtu\u00adde. And the angel of the LORD<\/span> said to her, \u00abBehold, you are with child and will bear a son; you shall call his name Ishma\u00adel, for the LORD<\/span> has lis\u00adten\u00aded to your distress. And he shall be a man \u27e8as\u27e9 a wild ass; his hand shall be against all, and the hand of all against him, and he shall set hims\u00adelf befo\u00adre all his breth\u00adren.\u00bb (Gene\u00adsis 16:7\u201312 ELB<\/span>). Hagar\u2019s thoughts were pro\u00adba\u00adb\u00adly focu\u00adsed on the wounds of the past and the future, on what would await her in her old home\u00adland. The first thing the angel of the Lord does when he encoun\u00adters her is to inter\u00adcept pre\u00adcis\u00ade\u00adly this and bring her into the pre\u00adsent. She does\u00adn\u2019t real\u00adly ans\u00adwer the ques\u00adti\u00adons, but only says very brief\u00adly what exact\u00adly is going on with her now. This is fol\u00adlo\u00adwed by an invi\u00adta\u00adti\u00adon and a pro\u00admi\u00adse. Hagar is to return to this incre\u00addi\u00adbly ter\u00adri\u00adble situa\u00adti\u00adon from which she has fled. The pro\u00admi\u00adse that fol\u00adlows beg\u00adins well. She is to have many des\u00adcen\u00addants. Howe\u00adver, a big but fol\u00adlows, becau\u00adse her son will be rebel\u00adlious and rebel against ever\u00ady\u00adthing and ever\u00adyo\u00adne. All in all, that\u2019s two pie\u00adces of bad news and one pie\u00adce of good news. It was pro\u00adba\u00adb\u00adly not what Hagar wan\u00adted to hear in this situa\u00adti\u00adon. At least you would think so. But the oppo\u00adsi\u00adte is the case. Hagar rejoi\u00adced and was glad. \u00abThen she cal\u00adled on the name of the LORD<\/span>, who had spo\u00adken to her, \u00abYou are a God who sees me! For she said, \u00abHave I not also loo\u00adked here after him who has loo\u00adked upon me?\u00bb (Gene\u00adsis 16:13 ELB<\/span>). \u00abYou are a God who sees me\u00bb is the\u00adr\u00ade\u00adfo\u00adre not actual\u00adly a say\u00ading, but a name of God, El Roi. It is not just a cha\u00adrac\u00adter trait, but a name of God. It is the iden\u00adti\u00adty of God, that he is a God who sees me. I said at the begin\u00adning that we have a deep need to be seen and reco\u00adg\u00adnis\u00aded. God ful\u00adfils pre\u00adcis\u00ade\u00adly this need. I am put\u00adting for\u00adward a the\u00adsis. When we are in situa\u00adtions of suf\u00adfe\u00adring, when it seems hope\u00adl\u00adess and it is so incre\u00addi\u00adbly dif\u00adfi\u00adcult to still have hope, it is not the fact that God does not inter\u00adve\u00adne that is real\u00adly the most pain\u00adful, but our con\u00adclu\u00adsi\u00adon that God does not care. When we expe\u00adri\u00adence inju\u00ads\u00adti\u00adce, per\u00adhaps even from peo\u00adp\u00adle in the church, and God does not\u00adhing about it, it is so easy to think that God is not inte\u00adres\u00adted in me. In this situa\u00adti\u00adon, mee\u00adting God as El Roi, the God who sees me, is so heal\u00ading for our souls.
\nGod sees some\u00adthing dif\u00adfe\u00adrent from the others
\nWhat God sees when he looks at us is dif\u00adfe\u00adrent from what the peo\u00adp\u00adle around us see. Let\u2019s look again at Hagar. What peo\u00adp\u00adle see is a slave who has no rights. She does not belong to God\u2019s cho\u00adsen peo\u00adp\u00adle. And last but not least: she is a woman. From a human per\u00adspec\u00adti\u00adve, she belongs to the lowest class of peo\u00adp\u00adle and her value is only slight\u00adly hig\u00adher than that of an ani\u00admal. What God sees, howe\u00adver, is some\u00adthing com\u00adple\u00adte\u00adly dif\u00adfe\u00adrent! For one thing, the very fact that Hagar was not only addres\u00adsed direct\u00adly by God, but was appar\u00adent\u00adly also allo\u00adwed to look after him as he wal\u00adked away wit\u00adhout dying is pro\u00adof of the enorm\u00adous value that God sees in her. Ins\u00adtead of always tal\u00adking about the maid like Abra\u00adham and Sarah, God addres\u00adsed her by her name. She was also allo\u00adwed to give God a name. That was\u00adn\u2019t how it nor\u00admal\u00adly work\u00aded. But God see\u00admed to appro\u00adve. The holy God met her at eye level. I think our the\u00adme for the year has the poten\u00adti\u00adal to chall\u00adenge us, becau\u00adse we have come to know God as a holy God, who is not just a nice mate and good fri\u00adend. But I belie\u00adve that if we don\u2019t begin to under\u00adstand and reco\u00adg\u00adni\u00adse the holi\u00adne\u00adss of God, we can\u2019t under\u00adstand how incre\u00addi\u00adbly deep and powerful it is that this God meets us at eye level. Fur\u00adther\u00admo\u00adre, God pro\u00admi\u00adsed Hagar that alt\u00adhough she would have to return to her unfort\u00adu\u00adna\u00adte initi\u00adal situa\u00adti\u00adon, at least in his eyes she would no lon\u00adger do so as a slave. With the pro\u00admi\u00adse of many des\u00adcen\u00addants, God has appoin\u00adted her as the matri\u00adarch, the head of a nati\u00adon. From a human per\u00adspec\u00adti\u00adve, this is not a posi\u00adti\u00adon that a woman could occu\u00adpy. But in God\u2019s eyes, it is. What I find par\u00adti\u00adcu\u00adlar\u00adly exci\u00adting is ver\u00adse 12: \u00abAnd he will be a man like a wild don\u00adkey; he will set his hand against all and the hand of all against him, and he will set hims\u00adelf befo\u00adre the faces of all his brot\u00adhers.\u00bb (Gene\u00adsis 16:12 ELB<\/span>). From a human per\u00adspec\u00adti\u00adve, Hagar is pro\u00admi\u00adsed a stub\u00adborn, rebel\u00adlious son and off\u00adspring. Howe\u00adver, the ver\u00adse can also be unders\u00adtood dif\u00adfer\u00adent\u00adly. A wild don\u00adkey is an unta\u00admeable ani\u00admal. It could not be cap\u00adtu\u00adred and used as a trans\u00adport ani\u00admal like other don\u00adkeys. To the ears of a slave, a cap\u00adti\u00adve, this pro\u00adba\u00adb\u00adly sounds much more like free\u00addom than a bur\u00adden. From a human per\u00adspec\u00adti\u00adve, Hagar must return to her posi\u00adti\u00adon as a slave. From a divi\u00adne per\u00adspec\u00adti\u00adve, howe\u00adver, she is pro\u00admi\u00adsed free\u00addom. That is the gos\u00adpel! It is a fore\u00adtas\u00adte of what hap\u00adpen\u00aded through Jesus cen\u00adtu\u00adries later. God has seen the suf\u00adfe\u00adring of the peo\u00adp\u00adle and through Jesus he has crea\u00adted a way out of slavery and into freedom.
\nPla\u00adcing ones\u00adelf under the gaze of God
\nIt is a fact that God sees you. You can belie\u00adve it or not. Of cour\u00adse, it is some\u00adti\u00admes easier to belie\u00adve this than other times. But ulti\u00adm\u00adate\u00adly it is a bibli\u00adcal truth and the\u00adr\u00ade\u00adfo\u00adre not depen\u00addent on your actions. Nevert\u00adhel\u00adess, the\u00adre is one thing we can do. We can actively place our\u00adsel\u00adves under the gaze of God. We are incre\u00addi\u00adbly good at expo\u00adsing our\u00adsel\u00adves to the gaze of peo\u00adp\u00adle. I don\u2019t just mean the peo\u00adp\u00adle around us, but also our own human gaze. When it comes to our per\u00adfor\u00admance and our repu\u00adta\u00adti\u00adon, we are often so con\u00adcer\u00adned with what others see and whe\u00adther I mys\u00adelf am satis\u00adfied with who I am and what I do. The applau\u00adse of others is much more important than the view of God. Over the last few weeks, Mat\u00adthi\u00adas has repea\u00adted\u00adly tal\u00adked about this silence in the mor\u00adning and I belie\u00adve that this silence has a lot to do with con\u00adscious\u00adly pla\u00adcing our\u00adsel\u00adves under the gaze of God. What God sees in us is truth and brings us to free\u00addom. It frees us from the gaze of others and also from the scep\u00adti\u00adcal view we have of our\u00adsel\u00adves. A sto\u00adry from the New Tes\u00adta\u00adment that helps me to do this in the mor\u00adning, when my thoughts want to wan\u00adder off to all the things I should and must and can still do, is the sto\u00adry of Mar\u00adtha and Mary. They are two sis\u00adters and Jesus is visi\u00adting them with his disci\u00adples. Mar\u00adtha does exact\u00adly what is expec\u00adted of her from a human per\u00adspec\u00adti\u00adve. She is a good hos\u00adtess and does ever\u00ady\u00adthing she can to ensu\u00adre that her guests want for not\u00adhing. Maria does\u00adn\u2019t care what her sis\u00adter and ever\u00adyo\u00adne else thinks about her or what is expec\u00adted of her. She sits down at the feet of Jesus. She places hers\u00adelf sole\u00adly under his gaze and Jesus says: \u00abBut Jesus ans\u00adwe\u00adred and said to her, \u00abMar\u00adtha, Mar\u00adtha! You are anxious and trou\u00adbled about many things, but one thing is neces\u00adsa\u00adry. But Mary has cho\u00adsen the good part, which will not be taken away from her.\u00bb (Luke 10:41\u201342 ELB<\/span>). What Jesus is actual\u00adly say\u00ading is that Mar\u00adtha gave hers\u00adelf to exact\u00adly what ever\u00adyo\u00adne else saw in her, but Mary freed hers\u00adelf from that and sub\u00admit\u00adted hers\u00adelf to his gaze alo\u00adne. That is the good thing!
\n
\nPos\u00adsi\u00adble ques\u00adti\u00adons for the small group
\nRea\u00adding the Bible text: Gene\u00adsis 16<\/p>\n
\n\tWhich human eyes and which looks from others or yours\u00adelf deter\u00admi\u00adne your actions and your being?
\n\tWhat makes it so hard to break away from the\u00adse looks?
\n\tWhat are stra\u00adte\u00adgies or thoughts that could help you to con\u00adscious\u00adly place yours\u00adelf com\u00adple\u00adte\u00adly under God\u2019s gaze?
\n\tIs the\u00adre a cur\u00adrent situa\u00adti\u00adon in your life whe\u00adre you feel unseen by God? Pray tog\u00ade\u00adther that you may expe\u00adri\u00adence God\u2019s loving gaze on you in this very situation.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"