This week, Julie Shimizu will be sharing with us about The God Who Sees, reminding us that God sees us in our current struggles and difficulties. Not only does God see us, but he is with us, through the presence of the Holy Spirit. Julie Shimizu was the previous minister at Life Community Baptist Church, and we are so glad that she is able to be with us this week.

Online Service

Digging Deeper

Reflect upon El Roi Is the God Who Sees Me, a devotion by Ann Spangler, based on her book, Praying the Names of God: A Daily Guide. (The “sample chapters” from the publisher covers The God Who Sees).

You may also find it uplifting to read Praying the Names and Attributes of God, by the Navigators.

Read Genesis 16 from the Enduring Word Commentary, exploring Hagar’s encounter with The God Who Sees.

Explore Hagar’s Plight, from the En-Gedi Resource Center (a good website exploring the Bible from the perspective of Hebrew culture, with a focus on the Jewishness of Jesus).

Finally, listen to the beautiful music video, The God Who Sees, by Kathie Lee Gifford & Nicole C. Mullen. The God who sees is a modern oratorio telling the stories of Hagar, Ruth, David, and Mary and the promises God made to them.

There is also another inspirational song on YouTube, simply called Names of God.

Questions for Reflection

These questions for reflection are based on Julie’s talk from this week’s service. You might like to use them on your own, in with others in your Life Group.

1

What images come to mind when you hear the name, El Roi – “The God Who Sees”?

2

What aspects of God’s character are revealed through The God Who Sees, in Genesis 16:7-14?

3

Julie mentioned the following passages in her talk. How does each of these help us develop our understanding and our experience of The God Who Sees

Psalm 139

Psalm 10:12-15 & 10:17-18

Psalm 33:12-22

Proverbs 15:3

1 Corinthians 13:12

4

“God is too wise to be mistaken. God is too good to be unkind.  And, when you can’t trace His hand, you can always trust His heart.” (Attributed to Charles Spurgeon*). How does trusting in the love of God help when we are faced with difficulties and challenges in our everyday life?

5

Reflect on the words of I Know Not Why God’s Wondrous Grace by Daniel Whittle, or listen to Stuart Townend sing.

6

Now pray for your community, your frontlines, and the world.

*According the Spurgeon Center, this quote is attributed to Charles Spurgeon by the singer Babbie Mason, but it is not a direct quote from the works of Spurgeon).

Worship Songs of the Week

For more worship videos recorded by our musicians, check out our Worship @ Home playlist on YouTube.

Talks in this Teaching Series

You can find all the talks in this teaching series on the Conversations on the Journey page.