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Have you ever been through something so hard that it left you feeling forsaken, overlooked, and isolated in the wilderness? We’ve all be there before. And yet, even though our feelings tell us otherwise, the Word of God promises that the Lord is perpetually with us, He sees our affliction, and will always meet us at our point of need.

In today’s devotion, God is confirming for you that not only does He see you, but He has an amazing plan for your life, and His purpose will be accomplished in you.

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It was an amazing thing to witness! I was a youngster at the time following my father to revivals around the nation. Growing up in the Pentecostal church, I loved being in the services where the faith was high, praise was expressive, and joy was all around. I would sway back and forth on my feet, moving to that wonderful blend of rhythmic drums, melodious chord progressions from the Hammond B-3 organ, and the loud thump-thump-thumping of tambourines. The resounding chorus of hallelujahs and outbreaks of screams and dancing were music to my ears.

Ah, the sounds of the Pentecostal church! Nothing like it anywhere. I will love it forever and will always be Pentecostal to my core.

On one particular night during a revival service, a woman who had been diagnosed with cancer and had received prayer previously, had a testimony to give. Earlier in the week, my father had laid hands on her and prophesied that she was healed. Well, she came back to church ecstatic. She was screaming in the microphone that she had visited her doctor and received a clean bill of health! They told her that they didn’t know what happened, but the cancer that had been ravaging her body had gone away.

The congregation erupted in gratitude-filled praise. Ooh, we danced and danced and danced like David danced in 2 Samuel 6:14 that says, “David danced before the LORD with all his might!”

I was tearing that floor up! My, my, we had a time.

God heals! I have seen it happen in my life and the lives of others—even my own children. That’s why I thank God that I was able to travel with my father all those years ago. I believe God used those experiences in my youth to shape me and show me what true faith in God’s power produces. And I’m determined to tell others that may not have had the benefit of the experience I had growing up that God is a healer to this day.

Oh, bless His name.

Some time ago, I was talking to my husband about the power of my father’s prayers. During a conversation, I said with a laugh, “The devil is scared of Dad Brinson.”

Over the course of many years, I have seen my daddy’s bold faith in action and have watched God respond to his faith by showing up in big ways. For instance, he walked into the ICU  in 2019, where doctors couldn’t stop my seizures for four days and declared by the authority of Christ, “There will be no more seizures in this room!”

And I have not had a seizure since. God has given us authority over the enemy. Remember we just talked about that a few days ago? Read the devotion here.

So anyway, though I was talking about the power of my daddy’s prayers, I know that God doesn’t only hear Dad Brinson’s prayers. He hears yours and mine, too. We can go boldly before the throne of grace, according to Hebrews 4:16, and “obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.”

We know this in theory, right? Yet, if we’re honest, there are days when it doesn’t look or feel like our petitions ever reach the throne of grace. Sometimes it just doesn’t feel like God sees, hears or even notices us at all. I remember when I got so sick in 2016. My body was wracked with pain every day. I was in an out of the hospital and doctors couldn’t help me. For months and months, I was in severe agony with no diagnosis. And because they couldn’t diagnose me, they refused to give me any pain medicine to dull the excruciating agony.

I cried. I prayed. I was confused. Some days I felt neglected by God. I knew He was with me, but when the pain got so intense that I thought I would die, it seemed like the Lord had forsaken me. Every day felt like "Groundhog Day.” You know that popular tradition celebrated in the United States on February 2nd. According to folklore, if a groundhog emerges from its burrow and sees its shadow, it means there will be six more weeks of winter weather. Every day I woke up, it was like the shadow of death hanging over me, and I knew that the winter season, where nothing new and beautiful blossomed, would remain.

But God saw me even then. He knew He would heal my body at a prayer service and give me an incredible testimony of being miraculously cured of two autoimmune diseases—Rheumatoid Arthritis and Fibromyalgia. While I was going through it, though, I couldn’t see what He was doing.

Have you ever been in a storm that made it feel like Groundhog Day in your life, as if you were stuck perpetually in a dark, cold, winter season? Somebody is right there now, and God sent me for you. I know you may feel isolated, stuck, and hidden from God’s view. It’s been a trying season, and you feel ignored, overlooked and invisible, as if you are all by yourself. But you’re never by yourself, neither are you overlooked. God sent me to combat the lie and the deception of the enemy that would have you believe that you are forsaken by God. He doesn’t want you to trust in the truth that you are loved, valued, treasured and the apple of God’s eye, and that His plans for your life are good!

To come against the enemy’s psychological and emotional manipulation and trickery that convinces you that you are invisible, unnoticed, and cast aside, God led me to share Luke 21:1-4 with you to encourage your heart and remind you that He sees you.

In this Bible story, Jesus was visiting the temple in the early 1st century AD. He was specifically in the vicinity of the treasury where people were putting in their offerings. Jesus was quietly standing by observing, studying folks’ behaviors and actions, including what they gave in the offering to support the treasury. The church treasury in Jesus’s day was primarily used for collecting and keeping tithes, offerings, and donations. And then, the money collected would be utilized for things like maintaining and repairing the temple, carrying out sacrifices, providing for religious festivals, supporting religious leaders such as priests and Levites, and assisting those in need. Very similar to how tithes and offerings are used in the church today.

While Jesus was standing there, He noticed many wealthy people putting large amounts into the treasury, but there was this poor widow who only contributed two small copper coins. These coins were called “mites,” translated from the Greek word lepta. A lepton was worth a halfpenny. Two lepta were the equivalent of one cent. A mite was the smallest denomination of Jewish coinage at that time. Essentially, the impoverished woman, who had no husband to help her, to earn money to support her, or anything at all, and had to figure out how to fend for herself, still gave an offering. It totaled in amount to about a penny, but it was all she had.

In the natural, what the widow offered was worth the least which is why many people would have overlooked what she gave, dismissed what she sowed, looked down on what she offered, and paid no attention to her at all. But in the spiritual, what she gave was worth the most, because she gave her all. Therefore, Jesus took occasion to praise this nameless woman’s actions by stating, “This poor widow has given more than all the rest of them.” He was acknowledging the fact that she had offered all she had when the wealthy donors had presented only a portion of their abundance.

Friend, true generosity is not measured by the size of our contributions but rather our heart’s posture and willingness to give sacrificially. It is not about how much we give but how we give that truly matters. The poor widow’s sacrifice, because it came from a pure heart, got Jesus’s attention. As a result, she is singled out in Scripture, and she is still being used in the Kingdom of God to this day to inspire us. Talk about impact!

This message is sent for the one who has given your all to God. He wants you to know that He sees your pure heart.  He is El Roi, “The God who sees me.” I love that name of God. He has not overlooked you or passed you by. You have been honoring God with your life, committing everything you have to Him out of a place of loyalty, serving Him even when it gets hard, offering sincere devotion and reverence. You’ve tried to do the right things consistently, even when you haven’t felt like you were getting right results consistently. While no one’s perfect and God doesn’t expect us to be, you do strive to please the Lord.

God hasn’t overlooked that. You have cried many tears. God hasn’t overlooked that. You have suffered for His name’s sake. God hasn’t overlooked that. You have committed your life to His Kingdom to see Him glorified. God hasn’t overlooked that. God has taken notice of you. You are not undervalued or insignificant. He is not careless concerning your destiny. He is intricately involved in each detail of your life. You can be sure He sees you and has compassion on you. You can be confident that your work, faithfulness, faith and perseverance are not in vain.

The seeds you have sown will produce fruit. God will reward your faithfulness in due season. Keep on going, friend. Don’t give up. The world needs you and your example. God wants to use you in ways you can’t imagine. Continue serving the Lord with everything you have and watch what He does. There’s a harvest with your name on it. Good things will happen for you if you simply stay the course.

When I think about being seen by God, my mind wanders over to a powerful story in Genesis 16 that focuses on Hagar. Remember her? She was the pregnant handmaiden of Abraham and Sarah. She was carrying Ishmael when she fled into the wilderness to escape Sarah’s harsh treatment of her. It was a difficult time, and she felt isolated out there in the desert all alone. Scripture says she was wandering in the wilderness of Beersheba. But God entered her dry place to remind her that she was, in fact, seen by God. The Lord took notice of Hagar’s affliction and suffering and bestowed upon her an incredible prophetic blessing. He assured her that when her son Ishmael was born, he would be fruitful and would become the father of many descendants.

Hagar’s name in Hebrew means “flight” or “forsaken” which is so significant. Look at this beautiful picture of God’s grace. The forsaken one was reminded by God that she was seen, loved, and valued. In this 16th chapter of Genesis, Hagar was so humbled by God's compassion, in verse 13, she called Him El Roi, "The God who sees me." That’s where we get this name of God from—a woman who thought that she was forsaken and invisible during her time of need but discovered that the Lord saw her all along. While she was running away from those that did not love her, the One who loved her with an everlasting love was chasing her down!

I sense in my spirit that somebody needs to know that God has seen you all along. You feel like Hagar, forsaken, but El Roi has been standing by watching you, just as Jesus watched the poor widow in the temple. He wants you to know that He recognizes your worth and value which is why in this time of affliction, He has sent me to offer this comforting word to you.

Listen, I know what it feels like to be hurting with no relief in sight, feeling forsaken, stagnant, and lost. But the Lord is assuring you that just as He did with Hagar, He is visiting your wilderness, your dry place, and speaking a word over you. You are significant. He will make you fruitful. Though you feel cast aside in life, Jesus said in John 6:37, “whoever comes to me I will   not cast out.” You are not forgotten. You are not rejected. You are chosen. You are special. You are beloved. You have been handpicked by God to be used by Him in the Kingdom. El Roi sees you. Jehovah Jireh provides for you. Jehovah Rapha heals you. Adonai is your Lord, and He loves you with an everlasting love and will always care for you.

To remind you of this truth, I’m stirring a sweetener into your cup of inspiration found in Isaiah 46:4 NLT, which says, “I will be your God throughout your lifetime— until your hair is white with age. I made you, and I will care for you. I will carry you along and save you.”

As you drink down the contents of your cup, be assured that God sees you, has a good plan for you, will never leave nor forsake you, and will be with you always, even until the end of the world.

Now, let’s pray.

God, thank You for reminding me that You are El Roi, the God who sees me. Sometimes, in my darkest moments, I feel alone, isolated, stuck, and forsaken, but I know that You are with me. I appreciate the compassion You have shown me and the way You take notice of me even in my wilderness of affliction. Despite what I go through, I know You have a good plan for me and You love me with an everlasting love. Thank You for seeing me and caring for me. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

If you desire prayer, please allow me, along with my intercessory prayer team, to stand in faith with you for breakthrough. We would be so honored. We have seen God work over and over again. There is power in agreement. Click here to request prayer now.

As always, thanks for reading and until next time... may today's cup of inspiration uplift, encourage, and empower you!