Fear and AnxietyНамуна

The God who sees me

Scripture gives so many examples of God seeing that society did not see, from the outcast Samaritan woman to the blind man on the side of the road. Genesis describes one encounter with a woman called Hagar, who was alone in the wilderness after running away in fear. God saw Hagar when no one else did, and He sent an angel to speak to her, impacting her greatly. In response, she says, ‘Have I truly seen the One who sees me?’ ‘El Roi’ is the Hebrew name used for God in this encounter—the God who sees.

In recent times, challenges around mental health are not only isolating and debilitating, but they are also often unseen. I’ve walked with friends and family members who have battled the very real isolation that comes with these challenges, and I pray above all that they would find a level of peace in amongst the immense complexity – and that I, their community, would have eyes to see.

A friend of mine, Jonathan Browning, is a mental health professional working in Sydney and wrote a book reflecting on pastoral ministry and mental health care. The book was called Do You See Me? In it, he writes: ‘To be seen is to be both heard and known. It is a place of intimacy and vulnerability, which is the very crucible for healing and restoration.’ The road to healing from fear and anxiety is not always easy, but maybe the journey begins with rest in the knowledge that even amid everything, we are known and loved by a ‘God who sees.’

Written by LUCY WEIL