The calling and vocation of ministry leadership and pastoring is uniquely complex. There is a set of expectations from so many different people in so many ways that weigh on the shoulders of the pastor: expectations of our teaching, expectations of our presence, expectations of our wisdom, expectations of our availability, expectations of our personal holiness, expectations of a healthy family and marriage, and on and on it goes.
We are often expected to have great marriages, raise great kids, and have a great personal and spiritual life, all while being available 24/7 to the people of the church and preparing a profound message each week that will transform the hearts of people.
Then there is always the tension we feel personally between the sacred calling of ministry and the sacred calling of being a husband and a father—two callings that both demand so much and seem impossible to balance well. No wonder the statistics demonstrate that so many are abandoning vocational ministry. The expectations feel too heavy, the exhaustion too significant, the disappointments too soul crushing.
Thankfully, there is no shortage of resources that speak into this reality with empathy and good counsel. I recommend you seek them out for the sake of your soul, your family, and your church.
Today, however, I simply want to offer this word of encouragement with the hope that it will grant you the strength to persevere: Whatever challenges you are facing, whatever questions you are holding, whatever brutality you are grappling with on this fallen planet at this moment, know that you are seen, known, understood, and deeply beloved by God.
___________________
One morning recently, I received a text from a friend I had not spoken to in quite some time. It was one of those texts I receive occasionally where someone tells me I was heavy on their heart, and they were praying for me. They said they weren’t sure what was going on, but they wanted me to know they were praying for me.
Up to receiving that text, it had been an ordinary day. I didn’t think much of the message, other than being grateful that I was on someone’s mind. Little did I know that something was about to unfold that would be anything but ordinary. Later that morning, a set of circumstances occurred that turned out to be heavier than I’d experienced in quite a while.
That night, as I sat thinking about what had happened, still very much feeling the weightiness of the day. I then realized how deeply meaningful that text was and how significant it was that it came to me before I even knew I would need it.
Very early on in the story between God and us, in Genesis 16, we encounter the first person who ever dared to give God a name. It wasn’t a king, a priest, or a prophet. It was an Egyptian slave girl who found herself in a desperate place, with no business having the God of the universe notice her. Yet, He did. He showed up for her in a powerful way. He made himself known to her, and He made it known that he knew her.
After this encounter, Genesis 16:13 states, “So she called the name of the LORD who spoke to her, ‘You are a God of seeing,’ for she said, ‘Truly here I have seen him who looks after me.’” Thus, the first name in scripture given to God by a human—because of the way that human experienced God—is El Roi, the God who Sees.
Throughout the rest of the Old Testament, and all the way through the New Testament, God continues to demonstrate to humans in countless ways that he sees us. He does it in big, giant ways to large groups, and he does it in small, profound ways to single individuals.
___________________
So often in the New Testament, Jesus takes the time to demonstrate to people that He sees them, just after or just before He solves their dilemmas. In each case, He could simply solve their needs. It would be arguably more efficient and productive. No need to ask them a bunch of questions beforehand or call them back over afterwards. However, each time, it seems His desire for them to know they are seen exceeds His desire to know they are healed.
Remember the woman caught in adultery (John 8:1-11). After sending away the crowds that condemned her, Jesus still looked her in the eye and healed that which was behind her behavior. His actions speak volumes: I see you!
The examples continue: The paraplegic man who just wants to walk (Matthew 9:1-8; Mark 2:1-12). His sins are forgiven, but there is more. I see you!
There’s the bleeding woman who just wants healing (Matthew 9:20-22; Mark 5:25-34; Luke 8:43-48). He stops the crowd and calls her daughter to tell her, I see you!
A blind man was on the side of the road near Jericho as Jesus was on his way to fulfill his mission to redeem humanity (Luke 18:35-43). Jesus called him over and asked him what he wanted. Jesus could just have healed him, but He knew what the man sought most. I see you!
So often, what weneed most is for Jesus to stop the world, look us in the eyes, and say, I see you.
As I grow older, I discover that when God meets my needs with His presence and power, it is certainly a great relief and a great joy. But when El-Roi—the God who sees—meets the deep need in my soul to be seen, it changes everything. Feeling seen doesn’t necessarily make these challenges any less heavy, but it does give me all I need to endure the day, and the many that will come after it.
I pray that as you read these words, they might be for you what that text was for me: a timely reminder that God sees you before you even know you need Him… that El Roi is constantly seeing you in whatever complexity you may find yourself. He sees it all, and still you are beloved. It might not make your problems disappear completely, but it may give you the encouragement you need to hold fast.
The post Pastors, Take Heart in the Fact that God Sees You appeared first on Focus on the Family.
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We are often expected to have great marriages, raise great kids, and have a great personal and spiritual life, all while being available 24/7 to the people of the church and preparing a profound message each week that will transform the hearts of people.
Then there is always the tension we feel personally between the sacred calling of ministry and the sacred calling of being a husband and a father—two callings that both demand so much and seem impossible to balance well. No wonder the statistics demonstrate that so many are abandoning vocational ministry. The expectations feel too heavy, the exhaustion too significant, the disappointments too soul crushing.
Thankfully, there is no shortage of resources that speak into this reality with empathy and good counsel. I recommend you seek them out for the sake of your soul, your family, and your church.
Today, however, I simply want to offer this word of encouragement with the hope that it will grant you the strength to persevere: Whatever challenges you are facing, whatever questions you are holding, whatever brutality you are grappling with on this fallen planet at this moment, know that you are seen, known, understood, and deeply beloved by God.
___________________
One morning recently, I received a text from a friend I had not spoken to in quite some time. It was one of those texts I receive occasionally where someone tells me I was heavy on their heart, and they were praying for me. They said they weren’t sure what was going on, but they wanted me to know they were praying for me.
Up to receiving that text, it had been an ordinary day. I didn’t think much of the message, other than being grateful that I was on someone’s mind. Little did I know that something was about to unfold that would be anything but ordinary. Later that morning, a set of circumstances occurred that turned out to be heavier than I’d experienced in quite a while.
That night, as I sat thinking about what had happened, still very much feeling the weightiness of the day. I then realized how deeply meaningful that text was and how significant it was that it came to me before I even knew I would need it.
Very early on in the story between God and us, in Genesis 16, we encounter the first person who ever dared to give God a name. It wasn’t a king, a priest, or a prophet. It was an Egyptian slave girl who found herself in a desperate place, with no business having the God of the universe notice her. Yet, He did. He showed up for her in a powerful way. He made himself known to her, and He made it known that he knew her.
After this encounter, Genesis 16:13 states, “So she called the name of the LORD who spoke to her, ‘You are a God of seeing,’ for she said, ‘Truly here I have seen him who looks after me.’” Thus, the first name in scripture given to God by a human—because of the way that human experienced God—is El Roi, the God who Sees.
Throughout the rest of the Old Testament, and all the way through the New Testament, God continues to demonstrate to humans in countless ways that he sees us. He does it in big, giant ways to large groups, and he does it in small, profound ways to single individuals.
___________________
So often in the New Testament, Jesus takes the time to demonstrate to people that He sees them, just after or just before He solves their dilemmas. In each case, He could simply solve their needs. It would be arguably more efficient and productive. No need to ask them a bunch of questions beforehand or call them back over afterwards. However, each time, it seems His desire for them to know they are seen exceeds His desire to know they are healed.
Remember the woman caught in adultery (John 8:1-11). After sending away the crowds that condemned her, Jesus still looked her in the eye and healed that which was behind her behavior. His actions speak volumes: I see you!
The examples continue: The paraplegic man who just wants to walk (Matthew 9:1-8; Mark 2:1-12). His sins are forgiven, but there is more. I see you!
There’s the bleeding woman who just wants healing (Matthew 9:20-22; Mark 5:25-34; Luke 8:43-48). He stops the crowd and calls her daughter to tell her, I see you!
A blind man was on the side of the road near Jericho as Jesus was on his way to fulfill his mission to redeem humanity (Luke 18:35-43). Jesus called him over and asked him what he wanted. Jesus could just have healed him, but He knew what the man sought most. I see you!
So often, what weneed most is for Jesus to stop the world, look us in the eyes, and say, I see you.
As I grow older, I discover that when God meets my needs with His presence and power, it is certainly a great relief and a great joy. But when El-Roi—the God who sees—meets the deep need in my soul to be seen, it changes everything. Feeling seen doesn’t necessarily make these challenges any less heavy, but it does give me all I need to endure the day, and the many that will come after it.
I pray that as you read these words, they might be for you what that text was for me: a timely reminder that God sees you before you even know you need Him… that El Roi is constantly seeing you in whatever complexity you may find yourself. He sees it all, and still you are beloved. It might not make your problems disappear completely, but it may give you the encouragement you need to hold fast.
The post Pastors, Take Heart in the Fact that God Sees You appeared first on Focus on the Family.
Continue reading...