The God Who Sees: Free Verse and Playlist

I wanted to share some final thoughts as I get ready to leave for Asia in a few short hours. I have been thinking about God as a God who sees. A month ago, I wrote a free verse poem / blog post about the fact that God sees us. Below, I have included that poem as well as my Summer 2012 so far iTunes playlist and a song from the playlist that I am especially enjoying right now.

"Thereafter, Hagar used another name to refer to the Lord, who had spoken to her. She said, 'You are the God who sees me.' She also said, 'Have I truly seen the One who sees me?'"

- Genesis 16:13

and He sees His daughter… 

This kinda hit me in the face over the last couple days…

God is here. He sees me. He hears me. He’s looking at me. He knows me. He acknowledges me. He desires me. He wants me. He hopes for me. He plans for me. He is in love with me. He cherishes me. He longs for me. He is here for me. He is proud of (not disappointed about) me. He is near to (not far off from) me.
He is honest with me. He is gracious to me. He is forgiving to me. He is honored because of me. He is majestic before me. He is just and pure towards me. He is appreciative of me. He is strong for me. He is mindful of me. He sees me. He notices me. More than that, I am important to him.

God sees you. And he loves you. He does not run away when he sees you approaching. He loves you. He comes near. He invites you on his lap where he can love you and embrace you and welcome you.

He’s God and he loves us. Oh, how he loves.

What I'm Listening To:

("Summer 2012" Edition)

"Party in the USA" - Miley Cyrus

"Hold On" - B*Witched

"I Refuse" - Josh Wilson

"Never Gonna Let You Go" - Ben Rector

"Sweetly Broken" - Jeremy Riddle

"Naive Orleans [Acoustic]" - Anberlin

"My Story" - Addison Road

"All This Time" - Britt Nicole

"This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the LORD your God is with you wherever you go." 

- Joshua 1:9

College [Dis]orientation

Going to college is a challenge, if you didn't already know that. It is a huge change and a great challenge to adapt to college life and to adapt to being away from home. In fact, this morning at the campus church, the pastor asked us if we were disoriented or if Orientation had actually worked. :)

Do you remember Joshua from the Bible? After Moses died, God called Joshua to lead the Israelites. Imagine Joshua, a young adult, being given a task to lead his people. This was a big challenge! God led Joshua to conquer new territory, to tackle new challenges, to fight new battles, and to advance His purpose even further. See, God didn't change and God's purposes didn't change. But changes happened in Joshua's life to challenge him and Israel and further accomplish God's plan.

While at college, remember that this is a change! You are going to feel disoriented. It's going to be hard. Like Joshua, we need to have the right attitude (be strong and courageous) and follow the right path (Study this Book of Instruction [Bible] continually). But fight those battles, cross that threshold, and follow God, because he is always with us.

[Thanks to Pastor Dave at the Campus church for a message on Joshua. This post is based on his message on Joshua 1:1-9.]