I don’t usually think deep and meaningfuls while driving. Usually I’m very much concentrating on the road, navigating traffic, anticipating whatever’s coming up next. You know. Driving. One day this week while I was just driving along, focused on the journey, these words plopped into my head; ‘You know I am El Roi, I see it all’.

‘You know I am El Roi, I see it all’.

All right….that certainly didn’t come from me. Like I said, when I’m driving I’m concentrating on the task at hand. Sometimes I’m praying but I am not, as a habit, thinking about names of God in Hebrew. Nope. I may have my mind wandering along the lines of ‘what on earth am I going to cook for dinner tonight’, along with the thought ‘move into the next lane soon’, and ‘easy mate, not quite so close’…..simple thoughts. Mostly decent thoughts. Sometimes a little tiny bit road ragey, but not often. Nothing usually of the Greek or Hebraic or theological vein, that’s for sure.

Which leads me to know that declaration, that whisper into the depths of my being had to come from God.

And you know what? Of course it did. It had to. Duh me.

You see I’d just had a conversation with someone and while there was absolutely nothing ill-intentioned in the words I’d heard in that chat, I’d still come away from that meeting feeling inadequate. Deficient. Very much misunderstood and alone, in a world of my own.

And, I know enough about the word of God, and the heart and nature of God to know, that’s actually not what He thinks of anyone. And just like He does – He reminded me. He sees me. He knows me. So I felt prompted to write for the first time in aaaaages, just because I wonder if there’s anyone out there that needs reminding of these same truths.

The world feels tired.

The world is still in a position of so much uncertainty, so much pain, so much unease.

We have been working hard, so very hard.

We’ve been juggling the demands of stress and unanswerable questions, wearing different hats, learning new skills, adapting and ‘pivoting’.

It’s very easy to look for outward results as proof of the hard work we’ve been doing, as evidence of whatever input has been allocated to something isn’t it? No matter what sphere of work you are in, we look at the numbers – we look at net worth, we look at asset values, at page views, at viewing minutes and hours, at the balance reconciled, at pass marks and achievement outcomes met and checkboxes ticked. We look for evidence of effort for worth and validation.

But sometimes there is no evidence.

Sometimes there are hours spent, seen and unseen, where the works are simply hidden from people.

Sometimes there are relationships invested in, that don’t come with a receipt or a checkbox ticked.

Sometimes there are no bank accounts blossoming as a result of some very hard work having happened.

But God sees.

He sees every tear shed over big and little frustrations. He sees and hears every heartfelt prayer for wisdom and direction. He sees the sacrifices made for His namesake. He sees the many parts that come together in the name of seeking Him and bringing others closer to Him.

He is not distant, He is very present.

When we feel invisible or forgotten. El Roi. He sees us.

And not only does He see us, He values us. And urges us on.

because God is not unjust or unfair. He won’t overlook the work you have done or the love you have carried to each other in His name while doing His work, as you are still doing. (Hebrews 6:10 The Voice Translation).

I hope for your sake, that with whatever you’re putting your time, your effort, your attention to and what you place priority on, is valued and acknowledged and recognized by the people who matter to you, but take heart dear one if that’s not the case. Because Roy sees it all. Remind yourself that Roy sees it. The most important Roy of all – El Roi.