Encouragement For "Today"  ~ By Angie Maldonado

This month's Heartstring's title was chosen very purposefully.  Some of you are in places in your marriage where encouragement for tomorrow seems way too late.  If that is not the case in your marriage, perhaps you know someone who needs a word of encouragement this very day.

Many times we have decorated our doors so nicely, no one realizes the pain and struggles that lie behind them.  We haven't received encouragement, because we've hidden our trials, even from our brothers and sisters in the Lord.  My encouragement for you this day is that God sees.  There is a beautiful story in Genesis 16 about Hagar, Sarai's maidservant.  She is mistreated by Sarai after obeying Sarai's command to bear Abraham a child.  Hagar fled, her spirit totally downcast within her.  But she was not forgotten...oh no!  The Lord found her, even in her running in the desert, and spoke to her.  Something that's interesting in this story is, the Lord's words were really not all that encouraging (see Gen. 16:11-12), where he tells her her son will be against everyone and everyone against him, etc).  However, her response was profound. "You are the God who sees me...for I have now seen the One who sees me" (Gen 16:13).  God saw her; He saw her aching heart; He saw her circumstances; He loved her.  He didn't tell her all her troubles would melt away, but she knew in her heart of hearts, she had been seen by God.

Let's talk more about what happens when God sees us.  Second Chronicles 16:9 says, "For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to Him." I think that's what He was doing when He saw Hagar...ranging throughout the earth.  He saw a hurting soul in the desert and He strengthened her.  She felt seen by the Holy One!  He doesn't just hear us when we call to Him, He is on the look-out for our hearts that need strengthening...and He strengthens us.

I saw this in my own marriage when we were separated and struggling very much.  He found me, He saw me and He strengthened me.  If you are in the depths of that same pain I felt, I know you want Him to make it all well again right now.  He is able to do that and in some cases, He may choose to do so.  But, find encouragement in His strength.  He is looking for hearts to strengthen and He will do it now.  He is the God who sees YOU...the One who sees YOU! Find encouragement in that this very day.

~ Angie Maldonado is a home schooling mom of two girls (ages 4 and 6) and an Army wife.  She and her family currently reside in Fort Benning, Georgia.  Her greatest goal in life is to leave a remarkable spiritual legacy to her two girls and to see them mature with hearts to serve the Lord.  She enjoys crafting, decorating, reading, and of course, writing.  Angie has experienced the renovating power of the Lord at work in her marriage, and considers it a great blessing to use what she has learned to help build other women in their faith.  She is working on her first book dedicated to encouraging women to let their lights shine for the Lord Jesus.