Claire's Prayer

My husband, Andy, has two older siblings.  They are 11 and 13 years older than him, so it was a very long time before Andy came along.  One of the things that Andy often says is, “I was not an afterthought, I was a no-thought!”  His parents didn’t even think about having another child; Andy was a big surprise, with no thought given.  

The wonderful thing about Ephesians 1:4a is that it tells us: “just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world…” You are definitely not an afterthought or even a no-thought!  God thought of you long before He hung one star in place. He chose you before He created a galaxy or a planet. Our Abba Father thought of you before He made a giraffe, breathed life into Adam, or said, “Let there be light!”  He was thinking about you!  Doesn’t that boggle your mind?!  It certainly blows mine.

Charles Spurgeon says this about being chosen – “If God hadn’t chosen me before the foundation of the world, He wouldn’t choose me now!”  How true is that!  When I think back upon my life, the bad choices I made, the rebellion I lived in, the fact that God chose me at all is astonishing.  Being chosen by God is not something that should make us proud; it should humble us, make us stand before the LORD in wonder.  David praised our glorious God in this way, “When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them?” 

There was a reason that God chose you and me. He chose us so “that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love,” Ephesians 1:4b. We couldn’t have chosen ourselves, and we can’t become holy and blameless without Jesus.  Being holy means that we are to love what God loves and hate what God hates.  So much out there in the world tells us to strive after ‘happiness,’ but God tells us to seek ‘holiness.’  Happiness is based on our circumstances and what happens to us during the day, but holiness is based on God and on becoming more Christ-like. Vance Havner quotes, “God saved us to make us holy, not happy!”

Aren’t you thankful for the blood of Jesus?  “And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.”  Hebrews 10:10. Through the body and blood of Jesus, we have been made holy, as though we have never sinned.  There is no other way.  Because of the love of God in sending His only Son, we have been made holy.  We are chosen, and that before the beginning of time.  Never an after-thought or a no-thought.  Hand-picked by God and for God.  Oh, what a precious gift!

Reflections

1. In what way does knowing that the Father chose you ‘before the foundation of the world’ change the way you view your value, identity, and purpose?

• Where do you tend to seek happiness over holiness in your daily life, and what might it look like to align those areas with God’s call to be holy?

• When you reflect on your past, your choices, and perhaps bad decisions, and the LORD’s continued grace, how does that deepen your humility and thankfulness for being chosen in Christ?

Step-by-Step

Spend a few moments praising the Father for choosing you and making you holy through His Son, Jesus. Ask Him to reveal a practical way that you can pursue holiness over comfort this week, and take that step in faith.

Early in the spring of 1905, Civilla Martin and her husband met Mr. and Mrs. Doolittle.  Mrs. Doolittle had been bedridden for 20 years, and her husband was confined to a wheelchair.  Despite their affliction, they brought comfort, inspiration, and encouragement to everyone they met.  One day, Mrs. Doolittle was asked the secret to her bright hopefulness, and her response was, “His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me.” This simple, beautiful expression of great faith inspired the well-known hymn, “His Eye is on the Sparrow.”

He watches me!  He watches you!  How incredibly comforting are those three unassuming words.  Wherever you are, no matter what you are doing, the Father is watching you. 

We’ve heard about how in John 1:48 Nathanael enquires of Jesus, “How do you know me?  Jesus answered and said to him, “Before Phillip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.”  I saw you!  I saw you praying under your fig tree.  I’m watching you.  I saw you picking up groceries.  I saw you when that tear slipped down your cheek in the car.  I saw you in that meeting, talking with your friend, driving to work.  In every situation, I see you!  I see you.  My eye is upon you.  I’m watching you.

Your loving Father sees you in all your wonderful potential.  Washed clean and beautiful by the blood of Jesus.  He sees you in your good moments and in your bad.  You are never invisible or too small and insignificant – the ever-watchful eyes of your Savior are upon you!  He sees you.

Whenever I am tempted,

Whenever clouds arise,

When songs give place to sighing,

When hope within me dies,

I draw the closer to Him;

From care He sets me free:

His eye is on the sparrow,

And I know He watches me;

His eye is on the sparrow,

And I know He watches me.

I sing because I’m happy—

I sing because I’m free—

For His eye is on the sparrow,

And I know He watches me.

Reflections

1. What are the areas in your life that you most need to be reminded that God truly sees you?  Is there a situation, a burden, or an aching place in your heart that needs His watching, loving gaze today?
2. How does knowing that the God Who Sees perceives both your tears, and your faithfulness change the way you think about your Abba Father?
3. What are the ways in which you have felt invisible, unseen and how does knowing that the LORD is watching you at all times gently challenge that lie?
   
   

Step-By-Step

Set aside 10 quiet minutes today and pick a quiet place, perhaps a special chair, your porch, or even outside under a tree.  Settle down and open your hands upwards towards the LORD, take a deep breath and simply say, “Lord, You see me.” Write down one thing you sense He sees in you today, whether it be a struggle, a strength, or a step of faith. Keep that note somewhere visible as a reminder: You are seen by your Creator. You are fully known by your Father. You are watched over in love by your God.

El Roi.  The God Who Sees. The God who sees us in every moment, whose eye is always upon us, watching over us.  The God who sees us when tears slip down our cheeks, when the weight of the world threatens to crush us.  The God who sees us when we sit alone, when anxiety overwhelms, and we can’t seem to cast off those fearful thoughts.  The God who sees us in the good and the bad.  Always watching.  El Roi.

The story of Hagar is a beautiful one, the only time our Father is referred to as El Roi.  It’s a story of redemption and hope.  In Genesis 16:13, Hagar says this to the LORD: “You are the God who sees me,” for she said, I have now seen the One who sees me.” You saw me.  The Creator, the Holy One, the Great I Am saw me and didn’t ignore me!  But even more than this, Hagar says, “I have seen the One who sees me.” Hagar saw God!  In that desolate place, crushed and expecting to die, Hagar saw God.

In moments of great anguish, God not only sees us, but He also reveals Himself to us.  Do you remember Elijah?  After being chased by Jezebel, he fell into a great depression and cried out to God, saying, “I have had enough, Lord, he said.  Take my life.” (1 Kings 19:4b). Strengthened supernaturally by the LORD, he traveled for 40 days to a cave at Mount Horeb, where God revealed Himself to Elijah in a whisper.  A voice of intimacy, one where you have to lean in and come close to hear the words. 

Hagar wouldn’t have seen God if it weren’t for her brokenness and trials.  When all seems lost, remember God sees You!  Ask Him to reveal Himself to you, to comfort and encourage.  Your loving Father sees you in all your wonderful potential.  Washed clean and beautiful by the blood of Jesus.  He sees you in your good moments and in your bad.  You are never invisible or too small and insignificant – the ever-watchful eyes of your Savior are upon you!  He sees you!

Reflections

1. What are the areas in your life that you need to be reminded that God truly sees you?  What emotions, anxieties, or hidden places are you carrying that you need to bring into His loving gaze?

• How does knowing God is El Roi — the God who sees — change the way you view your current struggles or even loneliness?  In what way might He be using this season you are in to reveal Himself to you even more deeply, just as He did with Hagar and Elijah?

• What would it look like for you to hear your Abba Father’s whisper in this season?  Are there distractions, fears, or busyness that may keep you from hearing His gentle, quiet voice?

Step By Step

Set aside a few quiet minutes today to sit before the LORD and pray this simple prayer:

“El Roi, You see me. Please reveal Yourself to me today.”

Write down anything you sense the Father speaking to your heart, whether it be a scripture, a word, or a sense of His presence watching over you.  Know that you are fully seen, chosen, and loved.

There is a very significant treasure in the first chapter of Ephesians and that treasure is mentioned eleven times!  It is a treasure and a key to all the sweetness of those spiritual blessings.  That is that they are found ‘in Christ!’  You are chosen in Him, accepted in the Beloved, the faithful in Christ Jesus.  This small truth is absolutely foundational to our understanding of the heavenly blessings in Christ.

When you put your hand in Jesus’ hand and promised to follow Him all the days of your life.  When you turned your heart over to the Father and gave Him control, believing that Jesus died for you and rose again so that you can be united to the Great I Am for all of eternity, you became ‘in Christ,’ part of the family of God.  An inseparable union, just like a marriage, when a man and woman become one, so you become one with Christ.  A Covenant was sealed; we are no longer separate, but a branch grafted into the vine.

John 15:5 says, “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.”  If we abide in Christ, we will bear much fruit. The heavenly blessings that are in Christ Jesus are ours; without Him, we can do nothing.  Jesus is our home!  He is the place where we can rest. He is our safe place.  But we need to abide in Him.

One of my favorite tools is my curling iron, which helps tame the crazy head of hair I was born with.  But that curling iron doesn’t work unless I plug it into the electrical outlet.  Without electricity powering this tool, it won’t work; it won’t heat up; there will be no power; and it won’t be able to do the work it was intended to do.  We need to spend time with Jesus, time in His Word and in prayer, time in His presence, get to know our glorious Savior, and we need to ‘plug in’ to Christ.  Without His presence, there is no power; we need His guidance.

This little quote from a church bulletin says it all – “So far today, LORD, I’ve done all right. I haven’t gossiped; I haven’t lost my temper; I haven’t been greedy, grumpy, nasty, selfish, or overindulgent. I’m very thankful for that. But in a few moments, LORD, I’m going to get out of bed. And from then on, I’m going to need a lot of help.”  We cannot live a life that honors God without being ‘in Christ.’

Are you ‘in Christ.’  Have you given control of your life over to our Abba Father?  Have you shouted it from the mountain tops that Jesus Christ is your LORD and Savior?  Do you abide in Him, spend time in His glorious presence, plug in to your Savior?  Today, if that’s you then you are part of the family of God, you are the King’s daughter, you are absolutely entitled to every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, you are indeed ‘chosen’ by Him!  Today you can shout with all your being, “Hallelujah, I AM HIS!”

Reflections

1. What does it truly mean in your everyday life to be “in Christ,” not just in what you believe but in how you think when challenged, respond to situations, and take times of rest?
2. What are the areas of your life where you have been trying to function in your own power instead of staying “plugged in” to Jesus’ power and presence?
3. In what ways does knowing that you are inseparably from the LORD, ‘in Christ,’ change the way you view your identity, self-worth, and access to His spiritual blessings?

Step-By-Step

Today, set aside a specific, planned time to “plug in” to Jesus—open His Word, pray honestly, and surrender your plans and anxieties to Him. Ask the LORD to help you abide in Him during every moment of your day.

The word chosen in the Greek is ‘𝘦𝘬𝘭𝘦𝘨𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘪’ 𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘱𝘪𝘤𝘬 𝘰𝘳 𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘰𝘯𝘦’𝘴 𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧.  𝘊𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘺.  𝘛𝘰 𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘺 𝘯𝘢𝘮𝘦.Before the foundation of the world, the Father saw you amongst so many; He picked you out for Himself, and He called you by name!

Psalm 139 is an incredibly beautiful Psalm.  Verses 14-16 say this: “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.”  The Great, Almighty God saw you before you were formed, and He fashioned your days, every single one of them, writing them in His book.  𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗲𝘆𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘄𝗼𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝗳𝘂𝗹 𝗙𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝘀𝗮𝘄 𝘆𝗼𝘂, 𝗯𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗯𝗼𝗿𝗻, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗛𝗲 𝘀𝗺𝗶𝗹𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝗵𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂!

Of course, there’s always a question, ‘Why did you choose me?” The obvious answer to that and the simplest is because He loves you.  He loves you and has a plan for you. But there is so much more than that!  “You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should remain, that whatsoever you ask the Father in My name He may give you.” John 15:16

You are chosen and appointed to bear fruit, fruit that will remain.  The Father has a plan for you to leave behind a legacy of change.  “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered the heart of man, the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.” 1 Corinthians 2:9. You cannot even begin to imagine the incredible plan God has for your life.  You cannot conceive of the wonders He has prepared for you!

In John 1, we read the story of Jesus ‘finding’ His disciples.  Verses 45-51 tell the story of how Nathanael became one of the twelve.  At first, Nathanael seemed a little irritated and unconvinced that anything good could come out of Nazareth, but in verse 48, Jesus says to him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.”  I saw you! He saw Nathanael long before Nathanael even knew about Jesus.  Chances are that Nathanael was sitting under the fig tree praying, as that is where many young rabbinic students would go to pray.  Chances are that he was even praying for a Messiah, as the hope of the coming of the Messiah was on everyone’s mind.  Students were taught, ‘he who, when he prays, does not pray for the coming of the Messiah, has not prayed at all!’ Nathanael knew when Jesus said, “I saw you under the fig tree,” that standing before him was the answer to his prayers, the Messiah, the coming King, the King of Israel!

So too does Jesus see You.  His gaze is kind, and His intentions are good as He looks at you and says, “I saw you; I chose you!”  He chose you long before you were born and saw you long before you had ever heard the beautiful name of Jesus.  Chosen.  You are chosen.

Reflections

1. What stirs in your heart and emotions to know that your choosing was not absolutely random but intentional, and even more than that, before the foundation of the world?
2. Have there been times in your  life when you struggled with the question, “Why would God choose me?”  How does Jesus’ assurance that you were chosen and appointed to bear lasting fruit speak into that area of insecurity?

• Like Nathanael praying under that fig tree, where has Jesus “seen” you in those places you thought were hidden, times of heartfelt prayer, anguish, disappointment, or those seasons of endless waiting—before you even recognized His faithfulness and work behind the scenes?  How does knowing that He saw you help you trust Him today?

Step-by-Step

Take time today to sit quietly with God and pray your own “fig tree prayer.”  Tell Him about areas where you feel unseen or small. Write down one way you sense Him saying, “I see you. I chose you.” Allow that truth to reshape your identity into one that is Chosen!

William Borden came from a life of incredible riches, anything that money could buy within his grasp.  The heir to a considerable family inheritance was given a trip around the world on his 16^th birthday.  While traveling around the world, William became increasingly burdened for the lost, and on his return home, he studied at Princeton University.  In the back of his Bible, he penned the words, “No reserves.”  Upon his graduation, his family pleaded with him to lead the family business. His response was that the mission field was far too important to him.  In his bible he then wrote, “No retreat.”  William travelled to Egypt on his way to become a missionary in China, and it was there that he contracted meningitis and died within three weeks.  His mother, finding his Bible, discovered the last words her son had penned in the back of it: “No regrets!”  This was a young man who had every earthly blessing available to him but realized that heavenly blessings were far more important. 

The problem with regret is that it causes you to look back, to be disappointed, or to feel that you have missed an opportunity.  Remember Lot’s wife?  She looked back, instead of looking towards a future in a land the LORD had promised, instead of obedience to the Father, regret made her look back.  Jesus mentions her in Luke 17:31-32: “On that day no one who is on the housetop, with possessions inside, should go down to get them. Likewise, no one in the field should go back for anything.  Remember Lot’s wife!” 

Lot’s wife was so attached to her worldly blessings and riches that she couldn’t move forward into God’s promises.  For her, wealth and prosperity were more important than the host of spiritual blessings that awaited her.  And so she was turned to salt, frozen forever in a state of regret.

How I want to be like William Borden, or like Paul himself, who wrote Ephesians from his place in prison.  How I want to live a life of sacrifice where the pull of the comforts of the world doesn’t drag me in.  I confess, my flesh desires to live a life of comfort, and the constant battering of social media and advertising pulls me into wanting more. The cry of my heart is to focus on those heavenly blessings spoken about by Paul, to be able to live a life of “No regrets!”

Reflections

1. Are there areas in your life where you see the words “reserve,” “retreat,” or “regret” quietly shaping your own decisions?  What are the comforts or fears that  make it harder for you to fully obey God when He calls you to something new or different?
2. What are you often tempted to “look back” upon when God invites you to trust Him with your future?  Is it security, possessions, recognition, approval, or a way of life that feels much easier than stepping out?
3. If someone were to read about you and the story of your life, what would they see mattered the most to you? 

Step-by-Step

Take some time to pray and write out your own three-phrase declaration—inspired by William Borden’s “No Reserves. No Retreat. No Regrets.”  Write it somewhere that is always before your eyes, in your Bible, your journal, or even the front of your phone, a daily reminder to not look back and live with “No Regrets.”

Chosen.

This is the very first gift Paul mentions, the one that is right at the top of a very meaningful list.  A blessing God has for you that is of the utmost importance, so important that God put it at the very beginning.  Chosen. Take a moment to let that sink in as the Holy Spirit whispers to you that you are chosen.  Chosen!  Chosen before the foundation of the world, before the Father had even spoken the world into existence.  Before night and day, before the sea and land, before the trees had even been created. Before all those things we read about in the beginning, God knew you!  God knew you, and He chose you.  Right at the point before anything began, God chose to spend eternity with you.  Doesn’t that blow your mind!  Thousands of years ago, God knew everything about you, and way back when time was commencing, He chose you!

Let’s read that portion of scripture again.  “Just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world…” Reading those words amazes me.  It’s a miracle, really.  God chose me?  Even knowing who I am and what I’ve done?  Astounding!  He chose me, and He chose you.  God has numbered every hair on your head. He knows when you sit down and when you stand up. He knows the words on your tongue before you speak them out. He knows you inside and out.  He. Chose. You.

I remember taking my beautiful daughter shopping for shoes.  We walked up and down the aisles looking at what seemed like a hundred pairs of shoes!  Some were only glanced at; some were picked up and examined before they were put back down.  There were heels that were too high, there were too many straps, or not enough.  Eventually, two or three pairs were tried on for size, and then one pair was chosen.  One pair was paid for and taken home.  When my girl chose those shoes, it was not a random act; a lot of time and thought went into it.

In the same way the Father chose you, it was not simply a random act, He didn’t spin a wheel and say “𝘖𝘩, 𝘯𝘶𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳 34!”  Thought went into it.  When He saw you, He knew you were perfect.  His Son, Jesus, paid the price for you, and you became His.  He chose you!

Reflections

1. What are the emotions that rise up within you when you let this incredible truth sink in: God chose you—before you had done anything to ‘make’ Him love you, even before the foundation of the world?
2. Are there areas in your life where you still live as though you are overlooked, not wanted, or not enough, rather than a daughter of the King who is fully chosen by God?
3. How might your identity, confidence, and the decisions you make day to day change if you regularly viewed yourself as being deliberately chosen and deeply known by your Father?

Step-By-Step

Today, and every morning this week, begin by speaking the truth of who you are out loud:

“I am chosen by God, hand-picked by Him, known completely, and loved unconditionally.”

Allow the truth of this to shape the way you see yourself and how you walk through each day—especially during moments of doubt, hesitation, or comparison.

Have you ever taken a look at the Forbes Real-Time Billionaires List?  It is mind-numbing.  Just today, when I checked, Elon Musk had lost US$7.5 billion since yesterday!  He is the richest man in the world, coming in with a Net Worth of US$780.4 billion.  Coming in at number four is Jeff Bezos, of Amazon fame, with US$249 billion, and Mark Zuckerberg, of Facebook, at number six, with US$231 billion!  Those numbers are staggering, and the list of billionaires is too.  I got tired of scrolling at 1,800 billionaires and gave up! 

The problem with this list is that it misses out on those who have true and absolutely staggering riches.  That’s us!  The adopted sons and daughters of The Great I Am.  Ephesians 3:8 tells us that we are heirs of “unfathomable riches of Christ.”  Translators have used the words inexplorable, inexhaustible, incalculable, and infinite to try to draw a comparison with unfathomable.  It really is just simply inexplicable.

Do you remember the parable of the man who found treasure in a field?  Jesus told this story to his disciples, “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.”  Matthew 13:44.  This wise man knew that the treasure was of great value, and so he sold everything to obtain it.  The kingdom of heaven is that treasure, one of unfathomable worth and incomparable value.  It is more to be desired than precious gold or silver and, in fact, is worth everything, our very lives.

Did you see the joy?!  This treasure brought the man so much joy.  It is that same joy that comes when you give your life to Jesus, when you realise that you are chosen, adopted, a daughter of the King of Kings and the LORD of Lords.  Joy bubbling over at the eternal gifts that the Father has for you, poured out in abundance and without measure.  Joy, laughter, and the Kingdom of Heaven are found in Jesus Christ.  The one who gave it all and the one we give everything we have for.

Reflections:

1. What are the places in your life where you measure wealth and success by worldly standards rather than by the unfathomable riches you have in Christ?
2. Describe what it means to you that you are heir, a daughter, to the “unfathomable riches of Christ”?
3. If you absolutely and undoubtedly believe deep down in your heart of hearts that Jesus Christ and the Kingdom of Heaven are your greatest treasures, what might you joyfully let go of in order to pursue Christ more?

Step-By-Step

Take a short walk and ask the Lord to show you three “hidden treasures” along the way.
Each time you notice something beautiful or unexpected (a flower, a child’s laughter, a kind word, sunlight, a verse that comes to mind), whisper: “Thank You for the unfathomable riches of Christ.” Let the physical treasures remind you of the greater spiritual ones you carry every day.