When I Feel Invisible I Turn To God

As we count down to Easter, we are continuing our series on Turning Our Hearts to God. In this season, we want to fully bring our whole hearts to God – emotions and all – and let His peace rule in our hearts! If you missed the previous posts on turning to God when we feel offended, afraid, overwhelmed, or uncertain you can find them on our blog. And be sure to join the conversation with us over on Facebook or Instagram throughout the week. This week, we’re looking at what to do when we are faced with the feeling of being invisible.

Hagar was all alone. In the heat of the desert. Deserted by those who should have loved her. Who should have taken care of her. Her son, Ishmael, lay under the brief shade of a scrub plant, dying of thirst. She couldn’t bear it. Does ANYBODY care?!? Does ANYBODY see me?!? The gut wrenching answer is no... and yes. Even though there was literally no human anywhere near them...GOD saw.

Genesis 21:17 says, “God heard the boy crying, and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven and said to her, ‘What is the matter Hagar?’”

Let’s stop for a moment right there. Hagar feels completely invisible. She is left alone in the desert with her son to die. But God hears the cries of her son, and then an angel audibly speaks to her. And the angel wonders what is the matter. Whoa. Talk about 2 different perspectives. Hagar's perspective is bleak. She sees the hot desert with no water and no protection and nobody around to help her. She feels invisible. The angel’s perspective is quite the opposite. The angel sees the resources of heaven and wonders why she’s upset.

Back to the story. Verse 17 goes on to say, “Do not be afraid; God has heard the boy crying as he lies there. Lift the boy up and take him by the hand, for I will make him into a great nation.” And Ishmael does, indeed, grow up to be a great nation.

Earlier in Hagar’s life something similar had also occurred. When she was pregnant with Ishmael, Hagar had been sent away in the desert, alone and deserted. That time, too, an angel of the Lord had visited her.

Genesis 16:13 says, “So Hagar gave this name to the LORD who had spoken to her: ‘You are the God who sees me.’”

This story gives me such hope! Often times in the Bible, there will be a name ascribed to God that emphasizes one of His characteristics. These different names all belong to the one true God, but each name calls upon a specific characteristic of God. “You are the God who sees me” is the name El Roi. I often call upon El Roi, the God who sees. When nobody sees my tears, El Roi does. When my broken heart is not visible to the human eye, El Roi sees. When nobody notices what I have done (the work, the labor of love, the cost), El Roi does. When I am misunderstood, not taken seriously, or feel invisible, El Roi sees, cares, notices, and understands. The truth is, I am never invisible! God always sees. Such comfort to my soul!

There is another who felt invisible. Deserted by family. Left by His most trusted, intimate friends. Misunderstood. Yet He had a job to do and even under this tremendous pressure, He needed to complete it.

Matthew 26 tells us that Jesus went to a place called Gethsemane. In verse 37 we read, “an intense feeling of great sorrow plunged his soul into deep sorrow and agony. And he said to [His disciples], ‘My heart is overwhelmed and crushed with grief. It feels as though I’m dying. Stay here and keep watch with me.’”

But just a couple verses later, we see that Jesus finds his friends sleeping and resting at the time of his greatest need. Seriously?! But it gets worse. Much worse. Matthew 27:45-46 tells us how. “For three hours, beginning at noon, darkness came over the earth. And at three o’clock Jesus shouted with a mighty voice in Aramaic, ‘Eli, Eli, Lena sabachthani?’ - that is ‘My God, My God, why have you deserted me?’” Every single time I read those words, I have to catch my breath. My Jesus. My Savior. He experienced horrific separation from His Father so that I, so that you, would never ever have to. Praise Him! Romans 8:35 asks the question and gives the answer, “Who could ever separate us from the endless love of God’s Anointed One? Absolutely no one!” And verse 38 reminds us “So now I live with the confidence that there in nothing in the universe with the power to separate us from God’s love.”

Psalm 139 says it so well. Verse 1 and 2 tell us, “Lord you know everything there is to know about me. You perceive every movement of my heart and soul and you understand my every thought before it even enters my mind. You are so intimately aware of me, Lord. You read my heart like an open book.”

This is cause for such praise! Even if I feel invisible. Even if it seems like nobody notices what I do, or what is important to me, and perhaps in that moment it is true. No human notices all the time. But God.... That is my favorite phrase. But God...does notice. But God notices and sees and deeply cares about the longings in my heart, the disappointments I face, the fears I can hardly give voice to, and the deep wounds that only His touch can heal. Hallelujah! Praise the Lord!

As we reflect on Palm Sunday and Holy Week culminating in Easter morning with a risen Savior, remember what His sacrifice procured for us. Abundant life everlasting starting now. Our spirits made alive with Him. The indwelling Holy Spirit. Never alone. Never invisible. Hallelujah.

***As we continue our conversations about turning our hearts to God, we realize we are covering some real and difficult emotions. If you would like to talk to someone, we are here for you, and we would love to connect you to resources in our church to help you find the support you need. Need to talk or looking for some support? Email women@saddleback.com and we would love to help you find the support that you need.

Additional resources:

• Support Groups: https://saddleback.com/care/supportgroups

• Celebrate Recovery: https://saddleback.com/.../celebrate-recovery/lake-forest?

• Counseling: https://saddleback.com/.../church-counselors/lake-forest?