The God Who Takes Notice (part three)

Let's move on to a story about Elijah! Imagine having to be a prophet and being required to go tell the evil King named Ahab that there would be no rain or dew for the next few years. After that comforting bit of prophecy, God probably senses that Ahab won't think too kindly of Elijah, so he instructs this man of God to basically flee.

Elijah hides in the Kerith Ravine and is fed by ravens that bring him bread and meat. After a close-by brook dries up, God instructs Elijah to go to Zarephath, where a widow will know to take care of him. After a miraculous story of flour and oil not running dry, the widow's son becomes ill and dies.

Elijah is taken aback! He questions why on earth God would bring tragedy upon this woman, who had opened her home to him. Elijah cries to the Lord, "Let this boy's life return to him!" The next line is so powerful: "The LORD heard Elijah's cry, and the boy's life returned to him, and he lived."

Our God is a God who hears. Our God is a God who sees. Our God is a God who takes notice.

It seems so fitting to me that in Matthew chapter 20, when two blind men see Jesus, they cry out to him. The more the crowd tried to hush them, the more they cried out. I think the word "primal scream" would fit here. They knew their only hope was in the merciful Messiah who was walking amongst them.

This next sentence has left me dumbfounded on so many levels. Jesus asks them, "What do you want me to do for you?" It sounds so simple, and yet we see his deep compassion towards these men. It almost seems ridiculous to ask such an obvious question, and yet the love lies in the asking. The men reply with, "we want our sight." Another translation says that "we want to see!"

Jesus was deeply moved when they said this. He touched their eyes and they were immediately able to behold the King of Kings.

Our God is a God who takes notice, but I think his deepest desire is that we take notice of Him, as well. He is the El Roi, the God who sees, but I think he wants us to see HIM for who he truly is.

One of my dearest friends has a sister that is spending some time in Australia. She compiles some of her photos and experiences into a blog. Recently, she said something to the effect of, "I wonder if a deaf man can hear God better because he isn't distracted by the physical sounds?" Wow. I certainly don't want to be deaf, but what if the voice of God were the only sound I ever heard? I think it would be easier to take notice of our Almighty.

David's last three sons had some cool names. You might want to add them to your list of boy names. They were: Elishama, Eliada, and Eliphalet. Here is what they mean:
God hears
God knows
God delivers

After all that King David had suffered through and learned throughout his life, he came to the conclusion that God does indeed hear, know, and deliver.

Sometimes I think we thrust ourselves into deep pits of mud and mire because we fail to believe that God takes notice of us. We forget that he hears. We forget that he listens. We forget that he delivers. We forget that he is a God who takes notice.

Let us live lives of freedom by proclaiming that our God is a God who takes notice.