Welcome to Young Life’s Day of Prayer! The invitation for this solitude guide is simple: Come as you are; stay as long as you like! We pray this guide will help you linger with the Lord, indulging in leisurely time with him. Find a favorite spot that feels welcoming to you, one that helps you pull away from the noise and demands of life, get comfortable, and begin to settle into silence. Our special thanks to Jeff Chesemore, Young Life’s managing editor/writer, for creating this guide. Thanks to Donna Hatasaki, senior director of spiritual formation, for crafting the questions for reflection. Now take time to become aware of God’s presence within you and all around you, and enjoy!
The God Who Sees
It doesn’t take long for any Bible reader to discover that God is attentive. Just three verses into Genesis God says, “Let there be light” and the light appears. In the very next verse we read, “God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness.” How beautiful that the first statement God makes in Scripture is to provide illumination. Of course being the omniscient (all-seeing) Lord of the Universe, he does not need light to see, but he knows his little creatures will. What he does “observe,” however, is how good the light is (knowing he has made it for us).
At the end of each creative day in Genesis 1 God sees that what he has made is good, and after he has made man and woman — the pinnacle of his creation because they are made in his image — he sees and declares it all to be very good.
Everything was good under his supervision, and under his super-vision.
What's in A Name?
Fifteen chapters later we read of a time where God receives a name from one of his beloved children, an Egyptian maidservant named Hagar (Genesis 16). She’s the victim of an impetuous plan by her owners, Sarai and Abram (later famously known as Sarah and Abraham), to produce for them a child. In their minds God has been slow in keeping his promise to make Abram the father of many nations. Hagar indeed becomes pregnant by Abram, begins to despise her mistress, and is mistreated by Sarai for it.
Now on the run from her cruel mistress, Hagar is afraid, exhausted, and without a plan. But she is not alone. The angel of the Lord finds her by a spring in the desert, and greets her this way:
“Hagar, servant of Sarai, where have you come from and where are you going?”
The question, of course, is for her benefit, not his. Isn’t it just like God to begin by asking a question? (We say God because many theologians believe the angel of the Lord is actually Jesus before his incarnation. Hence, the title angel of the Lord and not the more common angel.)
Hagar only half-answers his question. She can speak of her past — she’s running away from Sarai — but not about her future. She can’t see that far ahead.
But God can.
After instructing Hagar to return to Sarai, the angel of the Lord promises her a son — Ishmael — which means God hears, because God has heard of her misery. The angel of the Lord has given her a beautiful name for her son; she responds to this kindness by bestowing a beautiful new title upon God. And in so doing, she becomes the only person in the Bible to give God a name …
“She gave this name to the LORD who spoke to her: ‘You are the God who sees me,’ for she said, ‘I have now seen the One who sees me’” (Genesis 16:13).
Hagar has a new vision of God, who has given her a new vision for her life and her descendants. God sees circumstances, as in Hagar’s mistreatment and subsequent fleeing to isolation. And throughout the Old Testament we’re reminded often that he sees the plight of the fatherless and the widow, the leper, the barren, and the poor. The God Who Sees is acutely aware of suffering.
But of course he sees more than just the person’s circumstances. He also sees their heart. This is what truly moved Hagar to name him the God who sees me.
REFLECT
Can you recall a moment when you sensed God’s loving attention? When you felt seen, known, and loved by him? Where were you and what were you doing?
What words would you use to describe the experience?
In what ways, if any, were you changed?
God’s tender heart is on display in his encounter with Hagar. Consider where you’ve come from lately, what you’ve been through, what has taken a toll on your heart, mind, and body. If the Father were to sit down beside you in these moments (he has) and ask you, “Where does it hurt?” (he is) what’s the most truthful thing you could say to him?
What tender words would the Father like to offer you in return? Consider capturing his words to you in writing.
The Son Who Also Sees
As we now move into the pages of the New Testament, the Father’s watchfulness over us doesn’t skip a beat. But, of course, it comes to light primarily through his Son. In the Gospels, there are more than 70 references to seeing/seeking/looking attributed to Jesus, now the physical embodiment of The God Who Sees. We’re told he looks with compassion upon every lost image-bearer of God. It’s why he spends so much time with the hurting, the ones the Gospel writers often refer to as prostitutes, tax collectors, and sinners. Jesus’ vision is centered upon relationship — he lovingly longs to draw others to the Father.
We see this vividly in the calling of the first disciples.
Read
John 1:35-50
Ask the Father to open the eyes of your heart as you read about his Son and his inviting love for people. Listen quietly to what the Spirit has to say to you. Perhaps after reading you want to experience the passage again. Try listening to it on a Bible app, or reading it aloud yourself so you might hear the story afresh.
One helpful hint for this text: take note of how many times you come across the words look/looked; see/saw; find/found.
In your reading/listening does anything new stand out in these stories? Do you perhaps notice the buzz around Jesus? Can you hear it in the excited voices proclaiming, “Look … we have found … ”? Can you feel it in the men’s immediate urge to follow him and their inquiries into where he’s staying?
We begin with verse 35 to help give the story more context, but we’ll be focusing specifically on verses 43-51. In this passage, imagine you’re Nathanael …
It’s just another typical day around Bethsaida and you’re looking for a shady place, out of the sun’s heat. You find a fig tree, with its wide but low canopy of branches. A beautiful spot for rest and contemplation. Leaning back against its trunk, you have the place all to yourself, where you can enjoy the peace and quiet, undisturbed.
During this sweet time of refreshment in your own semi-secluded sanctuary, you hear a familiar voice. It’s Philip. He’s been searching for you. Practically beside himself, he’s over the moon about something. You’ve never seen him this excited.
It’s like he can’t get the words out fast enough: We’ve found him! We’ve found the one Moses wrote about! In the Law! It’s the same one the prophets wrote about! His name is Jesus! He’s the son of Joseph! He’s from Nazareth!
Well, you think to yourself, you had me until you mentioned Nazareth. That’s not where a messiah comes from.
Out of Nazareth, you (not so tactfully) ask him, “What good can come out of there?!?”
But your cool reaction doesn’t dampen Philip’s enthusiasm in the least. He kindly asks you to do two things:
Come.
And see.
Reluctantly you follow Philip, but before you even reach this mysterious figure, he sees you coming. He seems to be smiling at you. There’s something in his countenance, in his eyes, that’s inviting. You find yourself warming to him. And that’s not all. He happily greets you with these words: “Here truly is an Israelite in whom there is no deceit.”
I’ve never met this man, you think. But this really is how I try to live. I am passionate about truth. I want to be honest. How could he understand me this deeply?
So you bluntly ask, “How do you know me?”
As if it’s nothing at all, he replies, “I saw you while you were under the fig tree before Philip called you.”
You’re completely caught off guard and your heart feels like it could burst out of your chest. You’ve been conquered. You respond the only way you possibly can. “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel.”
REFLECT
Sometimes, the thought that God sees us can cause fear or make us want to hide. We might expect God to look at us with a critical eye, searching for the worst in us and rejecting what he sees. Yet Jesus reveals the face of the Father in this exchange with Nathanael. Jesus reveals a face that is shining upon us — beaming — seeing the deepest truth of who we are. He looks past our brokenness and sin and trains his eye on our original goodness. He sees in us the image of God reflecting the beauty and glory of our Maker.
It might be difficult, but take a few moments to allow Jesus to speak to you about the beauty and glory and goodness he sees in you. Again, it could be helpful to take “dictation” from the Spirit. Write down what Jesus would like to say about the deepest truth of who you are. Remember: You are his portion and reward; the apple of his eye (Deuteronomy 32:9-11). You are his beloved, and his desire is for you (Song of Songs 7:10). As a gift to him in this moment, give loving voice to his deep delight in you. Here is a prompt to help:
My deeply loved child, you are …
an answer to prayer?
As we pull back from the narrative, Nathanael’s statement seems odd to us. Just three verses earlier he’s highly dubious of a messiah coming from a backwater town like Nazareth. Now, because Jesus says he saw him under the fig tree, Nathanael is over the moon, and declaring Jesus is God’s son. What changed?
Scholars and theologians have pondered why Jesus’ vision of Nathanael under the fig tree was so revelatory to the new follower. Some suggest the tree must have been far away, and therefore, only God could see him there. Others point out that the fig tree was a common place of prayer, and Nathanael could very well have been speaking with the Lord. Maybe Jesus (being God in the flesh) had actually heard the young man’s prayers that day!
Either way, Nathanael is as convinced that God has seen him as Hagar was seen centuries earlier. For Jesus doesn’t just see Nathanael under the tree, he sees him as he truly is. He sees Nathanael is a God-seeker. He sees that truth is important to him. He sees he has a pure heart. And what do we know from the Sermon on the Mount about those with a pure heart? They shall see God!
In this moment, Nathanael is getting a glimpse of God!
Nathanael feels known by Jesus, and therefore he feels known by God the Father. But the vision for Nathanael’s life doesn’t stop there.
Jesus must smile as he says that Nathanael’s belief based upon the fig tree sighting is but the first step. It’s minor compared to what’s to come.
He tells Nathanael, “You will see greater things than that. Very truly I tell you, you will see ‘heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on’ the Son of Man.”
Jesus, as only Jesus can, compares Nathanael with the first true Israelite — the Old Testament character of Jacob, whose name God would change to Israel. Thousands of years earlier, he had dreamt of a ladder with angels ascending and descending on it. He named this place where he dreamt Bethel (the house of God), because he had discovered God’s presence there — he says that this place is the gate to heaven.
Jesus says to Nathanael — and to all who were listening, for the you here is plural — that they too will see the ladder from heaven with angels ascending and descending, only this time the house of God is Jesus himself. God’s presence is here in him! He is the true gate to heaven. While Nathanael is a true Israelite, Jesus is the true Israelite!
Consider all that Jesus sees in Nathanael:
“Here is …” Jesus knows him in the present.
“I saw you …” Jesus knows all about his past.
“You will see …” Jesus knows what’s in his future.
No wonder, then, that Nathanael followed him all the rest of his days.
REFLECT
Take a moment to imagine a scene from your future. Maybe imagine a scene from next week, next month, or next year. Perhaps imagine a specific event, a gathering with others, or an undertaking that requires a lot of you. Imagine the scene in as much detail as possible.
What images come to mind? What are you hoping for or longing for in this situation? The Lord hears your wordless longing as a prayer.
Now ask the Lord to give you eyes to see his presence and activity in the scene you’ve imagined. What expression is on his face? What is he doing? What would he like to say to you in the midst of this unfolding scene?
What is the best possible unfolding that you could imagine?
Take heart. God is up to more than you have asked or imagined. “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him” (1 Corinthians 2:9). Give thanks to God for all the goodness he has in store for you in the future.
THROUGH HIS EYES
What a comfort to be seen and deeply known by the God who created us and loves us. We can rest and relax. We don’t have to strive to be seen and known by him. We’re never “informing” him.
Instead, we’re simply celebrating the truth about who he says we are, which makes him glad and brings him joy. Or we’re admitting where we have fallen or been wounded, which gives him the chance to pick us up, dust us off, and tend to us with great care. We’re acknowledging our most intimate concerns and needs, which Jesus says he knows before we even ask him. We’re laying before him all that is already visible to him. Ultimately, we’re looking to see him, ourselves, and others through his kind, compassionate, and clear eyes. As has been said in ages past:
Behold the One
beholding you
and smiling.
May it be so for each of us, not only for our own sake, but for the sake of those we serve and those we seek on this Global Day of Prayer.