The God Who Sees and Hears

I wrote this last Sunday as I flew home from a weekend of reprieve.

Then she called the name of the Lord who spoke to her, You-Are-the-God-Who-Sees; for she said, “Have I also here seen Him who sees me?” Gen 16:13

Who is like the Lord our God,

Who dwells on high,

Who humbles Himself to behold

The things that are in the heavens and in the earth?

He raises the poor out of the dust,

And lifts the needy out of the ash heap,

That He may seat him with princes—

With the princes of His people.

He grants the barren woman a home,

Like a joyful mother of children.

Praise the Lord!  Psalms 113:5-9

This weekend I was able to take a break, thanks to my parents in-law.  Yesterday I read in Genesis 16 about Hagar pregnant, thirsty and alone in the desert.  The Lord spoke to her.  He heard her cry in her affliction and He saw her need.  This morning I opened my Bible to Psalm 113 and it went so well with what I read yesterday.  A God Who sees, hears and knows.  He humbled Himself and became a man, a servant, tempted in all points, afflicted and wounded for our transgressions.

Sometimes it’s very hard to see a light at the end of the tunnel.  It’s hard being a caregiver for the long haul with no end in sight and not much real respite.  Most people care for elderly for a few years or someone with a terminal condition, so although the “end” is not exactly welcome, there is a foreseeable end.  But there are many of us caregivers that care for a child, spouse or other loved one for an indefinite time (obviously death comes for all) because the injury or condition happened early in life and isn’t necessarily terminal.  Sometimes, just that thought is overwhelming...so I try not to dwell on it and take one day at a time.

I dream about having vacations that are actually vacations.  Where I would get to be with my husband and not have to worry about whether bathrooms are big enough or if there’s too many steps or if a doorway is too narrow.  A vacation where I could enjoy his company without straining all of my concentration on figuring out what he’s saying.  A vacation that I don’t have to plan every little detail around brain injury.  It’s just a dream though.

He sees, hears and knows.

That’s comforting. I’m not alone.  There are many reminders of this for me.  Whether it’s a stranger paying for our meal anonymously, packages of coloring books for the girls, a kind word or a random man offering to plow our driveway when he saw me struggling to move a huge snow “boulder” out of the front of our driveway.