Psalm 139:1 - God knows me

You have searched me, Lord,
     and you know me.

God, the one who knows everything, knows me. He sees the big picture, but he also sees my little picture. He knows how I feel and what I think(v2). He know what I am going to say before I say it (v4). God, master of the universe, cares about me.

Lord, thank you for caring about each one of us individually in the midst of this whole world. Please help us to remember, we are not alone and in your eyes, we are significant. Amen.

Psalm 113:9 - God cares about our problems

He settles the childless woman in her home
     as a happy mother of children.
Praise the Lord.

We all have struggles in this life. In the two verses before this one tells how God helps the poor and needy and raises them up. The wonderful thing is that God cares about our problems. He sees us. He knows our pain and struggles and he offers comfort for his children, his followers. Sometimes God takes the pain or problem away and sometimes he helps us bear through it, but either way his love is evident.

Lord, thank you for caring about our problems. Please help us to always seek you when we are struggling and be willing to go through the situation with you by our side. Amen.

Psalm 102:2 - Sending up an SOS

Do not hide your face from me
     when I am in distress.
Turn your ear to me;
     when I call, answer me quickly.

There are times when there is nothing we can do but pray. We don't know how to solve the problem. We're not even sure what the solution is. But with faith in God, we know he hears, we know he sees us in our distress. We know he will take care of us.

Lord, thank you for the assurance of your help. Please be patient with us when we are crying out to you, feeling abandoned and hopeless. Amen.

Psalm 69:5 - My sin

You, God, know my folly;
     my guilt is not hidden from you.

We all have our sins, our addictions, our temptations, our follies. As I have discussed before, I have food issues. In the past I have been hesitant to call this sin, but I think it may be time to call it what it is: sin. Why is it so hard to resist? Why can't I just say no to the donuts in the break room or what ever is available? Why do I feel cheated if I go out to a restaurant and order a healthy meal? Why can't I stop after eating a reasonable sized portion of food? Well, God knows my folly. He sees my guilt and thankfully, offers forgiveness.

Lord, thank you for knowing us, loving us, and forgiving us. Please help us to stop sinning. Amen.

Psalm 33:18 - The eyes of the Lord

But the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear him,
     on those whose hope is in his unfailing love,

God sees me. He knows my thoughts, my struggles, my opportunities. I fear him and hope in his unfailing love, so I trust him. Sometimes I think I have to beg him for his attention, but I don't have to, he sees me.

Lord, thank you for seeing us. Please help us to trust you. Amen.

Psalm 14:2 - I seek you, God

The Lord looks down from heaven on all mankind to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God.

There are so many corrupt people in the world who have turned away from God, but when I read the verse above, I wanted to jump up and down and shout up to God, "I seek you!!"  As hopeless as it sometimes seems, there are righteous people seeking God. God knows his people and he protects them.

Lord, thank you for knowing us and protecting us. Please help us to always seek you, Amen.

Psalm 10:14 - God sees

But you, God, see the trouble of the afflicted;
     you consider their grief and take it in hand.
The victims commit themselves to you;
     you are the helper of the fatherless.

God sees us. He knows when we are in pain, when we are facing difficult issues, when we are a victim. He will defend us, encourage us and listen to our cry (v. 17& 18).

Lord, thank you for being there for us. Please help us to not lose hope, but to turn to you immediately in our time of need. Amen.

Genesis 16:13

She gave this name to the Lord who spoke to her: "You are the God who sees me," for she said, "I have now seen the One who sees me."

Haggar is put in an impossible situation. She is told to do something and then hated for it. She hates her boss, who mistreats her. She runs away then God tells her to go back and submit. But God speaks to her and acknowledges her presence, which is probably far more than had happened to her before.

Lord, thank you for seeing us and knowing us. Thank you for showing yourself to us. Amen.