Word for the day by Christian Education Forum

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Christ’s Presence with the Outcast
Genesis 16: 7-16
Vs.13 “…You are the God who sees me.” 
Hagar felt unappreciated and harassed so she chose to run away, the route a lot of people choose when they are presented with a difficult situation. Hagar was not aware of her future and inner strength and so God decided to send one of his angels to her and knock some sense into her. In today’s day and age, mental illnesses such as depression and anxiety are high. Almost all of us are on a quest to find our niche, a place where we belong and feel wanted. Almost every single one of has gone or is going through that “I am all alone in the world,” “no one understands me”, etc. phase/period. Like with Hagar, God follows (or chases) us and tries to give us the strength to pull through and face our challenges he laid out before us. God sees us in a way that no one else does.
Everyone has a purpose in life but in order to see it and find satisfaction, you have to stick with it and have faith that with perseverance, you’ll see what God has in store for you. This means trusting in God that he does have a plan and that it is in action. Abram and Sarai took matters into their own hands when they felt that God had forgotten about them and the Promise. They took matters into their own hands and an Indian-serial worthy drama developed, though God made something fruitful out of that as well. We often forget to ask for God’s input or look for the signs as to what to do next and then we act impulsively based on our wants or other people’s wants or advice.
Be patient and have faith in God. However that does not mean you saying, “Okay God, do your thing,” while you sit there and do nothing. Learn about this world that God created and think about how you can do your part while being involved and experimenting with different aspects of life and seeing where God feels you are needed most and are most apt at.
 PRAYER
God, help us to appreciate you more; to be patient with your plan; to realize the timing that you are waiting for. Help us to become more aware of the world around us, not just our own world. Help us to become aware of the struggles around us; in the same way that we crave to be seen, others share that same craving. Help us to create the world you have always envisioned. 
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
Put thought into everything; gain knowledge from all sides and have the final decision come from you, knowing this is what God favors. God gave you a brain so use it. 
Marina Alexander, St. Andrews Mar Thoma Church
Christian Education Forum, Diocese of NAE of the Mar Thoma Church

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