What Does God See That I Can’t?
One of the many things I love about God; is that he sees my abilities. He knows what I can handle and what I cannot. He knows me better than anyone else, even better than my own self. When we count ourselves out, God is right there saying; “No, you are MORE than enough”. God even knows our strengths. We are stronger than we know, but our heavenly father knows precisely how much we can take. What in the world does he see in me that I can’t see in myself?
A while ago Pastor/Husband was teaching a series on “The Family”, and it was a good one. It was a much-needed word. Especially in these days and times when families seem to be suffering. On one particular Sunday, however, he touched on Mary and Joseph. Well, not so much Mary. He spent time dealing with Joseph. You know, my mind never really wonders what Joseph must have felt when Mary told him that she was pregnant, and by the HOLY SPIRIT no less! I mean, I can only imagine what he was thinking. Here this man is, ready to be married to his intended, only to find out that she is with child. I know for a fact, that the pastor/husband would have had an entire fit! I could understand why though. However, the bible says that Joseph was a just man. Of course, we all know the story of Mary and Joseph and the birth of Jesus. (If you don’t please let me know, I would be more than happy to elaborate) He ended up staying with Mary and marrying her. After the birth of Christ, they went on to have more children. The Bible doesn't really talk about Joseph much, but there is so much that we can unpack from the little bit that it does share about him.
Why did God choose Joseph? Why not Zach, or Levi? (I am literally just calling names) What did he see in Jospeh that would qualify him to partake in such a gift as raising Christ? I love that God sees our abilities. I love that he sees our hearts and that he knows what we can deal with and what we can’t. Because of who he was, God could trust Joseph to take care of Mary and raise Jesus. That alone says much about who Joseph was as a man and his relationship with God.
God saw Joseph. I mean, he saw him, saw him. He knew the type of man he was, and how he would respond. Because of his character, God knew that Joseph could be trusted with such a task. What does God see in us? Can we be trusted with such a task? ( Maybe not that task in particular) Does God see us as just? Are we great? Are we trustworthy? Can we be trusted to take care of the gifts that he has given us? All these questions seem to play over and over in my mind after hearing about the type of man Joseph was.
My desire is that when God sees me, he sees someone worthy of the gifts. That should also be your desire. One of our prayers should be that God sees us worthy of the gifts he has given to us and that we can be trusted to take care of them, just like Joseph could be trusted to take care of Mary and Jesus. Our prayer this week should be that God shows us ourselves. Ask him to get you “gift-worthy ready”. Our almighty God has the ability to see what we can’t. So when he looks at me, I want him to see faithfulness, trustworthiness, and compassion. I don’t want my gifts to fall by the wayside because I wasn't taking care of them. I need them to make room for me, and in order for them to do that, I must nourish them. God saw fit for us to have the gifts that we have, it is up to us to utilize them and make them make room.