El Roi : The God Who Sees Part 2
- Series: Names of God
- by: Rebekah Crosby 02/11/08
"From heaven the Lord looks down and sees all mankind..." Psalm 33:13
"Then the angel of the LORD told her, “Go back to your mistress and submit to her.” Genesis 16:9
Rob and I like to run together. We set out from our house and run down Harrison Avenue in Lakeview. Right around the time that we run by Starbucks, we usually start arguing. Maybe it's because I like buying CDs while ordering a latte, and Rob likes to make his coffee at home and buy his music from a music store. Who knows. It is an unsolved mystery. So, in Hallas style we began arguing during one of our runs (as we passed the Starbucks). I was frustrated with him over a decision he wanted to make that I disagreed with, and proceeded to pout very loudly about how it was so unfair that he got to make the decisions. I was all in a huff about my husband and how he "lords" over me...and poor me....weak and helpless to such power and control. All that "submitting to your husband" business that day just really got me.
My face was red and my blood pressure was high. I was very unhappy (at that moment) with him being the head of the household. We came back from running, and boy was I glad to get back. I stomped in the house and plopped down in the back (the furthest possible locale away from him) and started reading the Bible in a frenzy. The Lord certainly has a sense of humor because He brought me to Genesis 16 and the story of Hagar & Sarai.
"Go back to your [master] and submit to him." He said.
"No!" I said.
He said it again. My response was the same.
I argued with Him in my head for a few minutes, and wondered just why on earth God would ask ME to submit to my husband when HE was obviously wrong! How completely ridiculous! The Lord obviously did not see what just happened. If He had, He wouldn't ask this of me.
My stubbornness didn't last. I knew that the Lord was giving me a word, and He was asking me to obey. So I pried myself reluctantly out of the chair and went sheepishly to my husband. "I'm sorry. I was wrong." I said very quickly (because I DID NOT want to say it) and rushed out of the room.
This was not the only incident where the Lord spoke to me that loudly. For the next few weeks, I was pounded over the head with the lesson of submission. God was not taking the subtle tactic, but the more obvious one. I suppose He knew how stubborn I was and no other way would work.
Before all of this took place, I had been praying fervently that He would take out what does not please Him. He answered me. The Lord peered into my heart and began pruning me. Humility in my marriage was where He started. I suppose when I prayed that, I thought I would be put under with a lot of drugs so I wouldn't feel any pain. No such luck. I was wide awake and completely without anesthesia. It was not cotton candy and a box of kittens (can anyone look at a kitten and be mad???)...it was highly uncomfortable.
The pain I endured was necessary to change. Nothing worth anything is easy. The Lord sees me day in and day out. He sees how I treat others, he sees how I spend my time, He sees how I react to my husband. I may have thought He looked away for a second when He asked me to submit to Rob, but He didn't. He saw the whole incident. He saw that I wanted to control my husband. He saw the wickedness in my heart that longed for power. He saw that I was being selfish and childish. He saw that I was being disrespectful of the mate He asked me to respect. He saw it all.
He sees you, too.
My friend told me recently that El Roi was her favorite name of God because it is the only name that a human gave to Him. And that someone was not only an Egyptian, she was also a woman. (Big shout out to Amy in San Antonio!) The beauty of being a creation of the Most High is that the He is no respecter of persons. You may be poor, rich, sick, healthy, white, black, short, tall, fat or skinny. Regardless of your position in life, He sees-everything. You are not off the hook because you have had a hard life. You are not off the hook because you are rich and everyone wants to be you (or so you think). You are not off the hook because you don't have two dimes to rub together. He shows no favoritism in His command to be like Him.
You may wish that the Lord would work on others instead of you. Perhaps you believe that if only someone else would change, your life would improve -- surely if God saw, He would not want to work on you but on THEM. This is not only a lie, but a very dangerous thing to succomb to. In case you have not noticed, we have not arrived. We are still on our way to sanctification, and until the Lord comes back, we will be groaning in the great dilemma between our flesh and our spirit.
I pray that this week, you would stop walking with your head held high and practice humility. Trust the Lord when He says that He sees your heart. You, my friend, have much to learn. And until you are clothed in white and sitting on a cloud worshipping God, you still have work ahead of you. May you be accutely aware of the Lord's watchful eye.
Lord, make us like you. See if there is anything offensive in us, and lead us to repentance and change.