I wanted to share a devotional that Ana shared with our prayer group today. It was so awesome and encouraging, I asked if I could share as my blog.
In a world of about approximately 7 Billion people, it's extremely easy to feel overlooked and insignificant. One of the attributes I love about the Lord is that He knows every one of those 7 billion people intimately. That is absolutely incredible. This is supported scripturally by Psalm 139. (ESV)
O Lord, you have searched me and known me!
2 You know when I sit down and when I rise up;
you discern my thoughts from afar.
3 You search out my path and my lying down
and are acquainted with all my ways.
4 Even before a word is on my tongue,
behold, O Lord, you know it altogether.
5 You hem me in, behind and before,
and lay your hand upon me.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
it is high; I cannot attain it.7 Where shall I go from your Spirit?
Or where shall I flee from your presence?
8 If I ascend to heaven, you are there!
If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!
9 If I take the wings of the morning
and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
10 even there your hand shall lead me,
and your right hand shall hold me.
11 If I say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me,
and the light about me be night,”
12 even the darkness is not dark to you;
the night is bright as the day,
for darkness is as light with you.13 For you formed my inward parts;
you knitted me together in my mother's womb.
14 I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.[a]
Wonderful are your works;
my soul knows it very well.
15 My frame was not hidden from you,
when I was being made in secret,
intricately woven in the depths of the earth.
16 Your eyes saw my unformed substance;
in your book were written, every one of them,
the days that were formed for me,
when as yet there was none of them.17 How precious to me are your thoughts, O God!
How vast is the sum of them!
18 If I would count them, they are more than the sand.
I awake, and I am still with you.19 Oh that you would slay the wicked, O God!
O men of blood, depart from me!
20 They speak against you with malicious intent;
your enemies take your name in vain.
21 Do I not hate those who hate you, O Lord?
And do I not loathe those who rise up against you?
22 I hate them with complete hatred;
I count them my enemies.23 Search me, O God, and know my heart!
Try me and know my thoughts!
24 And see if there be any grievous way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting!
I love that Psalm, especially verses 7 & 8! Nothing can separate us from His presence. The following is from Ana Nunez…
I See You
In a world where you feel hidden, I see you.
In a world where you feel lost, I see you.
In a world where you feel hurt, I see you.
In a world where you feel tired, I see you.
In a world where you feel like giving up, I see you.
My child, I see you. Do you not see Me?
I am here, shining a light on you.
I am here, guiding you.
I am here, pouring healing oils over you.
I am here, inviting you to rest in Me.
I am here, cheering you on because I am a proud Father who sees all your potential.
In a world that seeks to pull you down, look up! Then you’ll see Me. You’ll see My arms have been extended the entire time, eager to lift you out of that hole and into My loving arms where you belong.
Precious child, take My hand. My heart longs to place you in my lap and hear you say, “Abba Father, I see you too, and I never want to let you go.”
Activation:
Ask yourself if you have lost hope in any situation in your life. Acknowledge you feel this way not because God has forsaken you, but because you lost sight of Him. Choose to look up and surrender it to Him. Take His hand and allow Him to lift you into His loving arms. Feel the heaviness melt away as you get lost in His embrace. Hear Him whisper how He is working in the situation so your hope can be restored. Gaze into His eyes and tell Him you see Him now, and thank Him for His abounding love.
Deuteronomy 31:8 (NIV)
It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.