The God Who Sees Me

Day 6 - What 3 amazing women tell us about God

“My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed, for the Mighty One has done great things for me— holy is his name. His mercy extends to those who fear him from generation to generation. He has performed mighty deeds with his arm; he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts. He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble. He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty. He has helped his servant Israel, remembering to be merciful to Abraham and his descendants forever, just as he promised our ancestors.”

-Luke 1:46b-55

(Photo by Andrew Svk on Unsplash)

All of us at one time or another have experienced what it is like to feel invisible, as though nobody knows you, appreciates you or even knows who you are. While it may be a common experience, that certainly does not make it any easier to go through those times.

Our passage today is famously known as the ‘Magnificat’, named after the first word of the Latin translation of the opening phrase, ‘My soul magnifies the Lord’. It has a rich history within the worship services of many Christian traditions. Mary’s song also follows in the steps of Hannah’s song, recorded in 1 Samuel 2:1-10 when she was dedicating her young son Samuel to God. We can also see another powerful connection between Mary’s song and the experience of Hagar in Genesis 16. Like Mary, Hagar had an angel come and declare to her that she will become pregnant with a son. Hagar was to name her son Ishmael, which means ‘God hears’. Hagar responds to the divine messenger by saying “You are the God who sees me”.

In the Magnificat, Mary says, “…for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant”. Mary, like Hagar and Hannah before her, knew the profound experience of feeling both seen and heard by God. Hagar was a servant who was mistreated in many ways; Hannah was brokenhearted by her experience of barrenness. These women had the experience of feeling neglected, taken advantage of, and unrecognized by those around them, and potentially also by God. In the lives of each of these women, God intervenes in profound ways that result in them feeling ‘seen’ and loved by God. Hagar goes so far as to give God a name: “the God who sees me” (Gen. 16:13); Mary declares that God is ‘mindful’ of her.

The impact of knowing that God is ‘mindful’ of us and that He ‘sees’ us in the midst of our circumstances is profound and it is a truth that we must continually return to and stay connected with. In practical terms, this can be easier said than done. One of the lessons we can learn from Mary’s life is the way she took time to ponder and ‘treasure’ what God had promised her. Our modern life gets very busy so we need to intentionally make time when we can reflect and believe and embrace hope again.