The God Who Sees Mary
Over the next several weeks we are going to look at how God acts as El Roi, The God Who Sees, through four different biblical mommas who experienced grief and sorrow. We will look at the lives of Hagar, Hannah, Naomi and Mary and see for ourselves how God was faithful to meet them in their pain and sorrow. As we study the testimonies of these four Biblical women, our prayer is that you would know in the depths of your heart that you are seen and heard, that you would feel loved and known.
As I began to prepare this study, I was struck by the extreme highs and lows Mary must have experienced along her motherhood journey. Luke 2 says that Mary was called out and set apart from all other women. She had been seen by El Roi, and chosen to carry the Savior of the World in her womb. What an honor that must have been knowing the God of the universe had His eyes on her. And yet, she must have been petrified. She was given the holy calling of carrying the Messiah, but yet she still had the protective, nurturing heart of a mother. Each of us is given the gift of motherhood with no certainty of how many days our children will have. Like us, Mary grieved knowing that she had very limited time with her Son.
Raising Jesus as a son could not have been easy. Mary had to nurture and parent with open hands, knowing that one day she would have to release Him to God the Father. Twice in Scripture, Jesus refers to Mary as, “Dear Woman.” First, when turning water to wine (John 2), and again at the cross (John 19). “Dear Woman” in the Greek is not as harsh as it is in the English language. In calling His mother “Dear Woman” Jesus acted as El Roi, the God Who Sees. He acknowledged her with compassion while also relaying that their relationship had changed in light of the start of His earthly ministry. I love that Jesus’ heart for his mother remained tender and compassionate, recognizing that she was grieving the loss of her son even while He was still walking this earth.
One of the most beautiful pictures of God as El Roi takes place at the Cross. In the midst of His crucifixion, Jesus looks down to the crowd gathered beneath Him. He sees His mother, Mary, standing beside John, the disciple whom He loved. The agony Mary must have felt in that moment is incomprehensible. John 19:26 says that Jesus called out to His mother, “‘Dear Woman, behold your son!’ Then He said to the disciple, ‘Behold your mother!’ And from that hour that disciple took her to his own home.” In those moments, hovering so close to the shadow of death, Jesus was watching His momma. He was loving her and protecting her and making sure she would remain cared for long after His death. What a beautiful picture of God’s heart for women and for us as mommas!
- Brittany
Hope Mom to five precious babies
Brittany and her husband, Jeremy live in Colorado with their three children Mackenzie, Levi, and Evelyn, their Black Lab Boston and a menagerie of bunnies! They have two Hope Babies, Finley Sky and Asher Simeon. Brittany is passionate about encouraging women to live authentically and abundantly. She is a writer at www.littlemountainmomma.com where she shares openly about her journey through postpartum depression and her experiences of pregnancy loss.
Photo credit: Pix-Elated Photography
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