He hears, he knows, he sees

The passage above is from Malachi 3:16-18. It comes after three scathing chapters detailing how and why the nation of Israel has betrayed God. Their nation has gone from being God's chosen people of priests to one of brokenness and despair. Israel has become the standard of what NOT to do. There are a lot of similarities between Israel then and Western civilizations in current times. Even as God was telling Israel of it's destruction, He was also listening. Listening for the few that would still call out to Him. The ones that were still sacrificing with hearts bent toward repentance and love. The Israelites that were still caring for their neighbors and rejecting the cultural tide to worship gods while pledging allegiances to God. 

The same God that could discern between the clamor of disobedience and the quiet pleas of the obedient is the same God that hears us amid the din of today's chorus of noise.  My brother and sister, let us take hope. Hope in the face that we are not ignored. That we are not unseen. That we do not have to go unheard. As followers of Christ we are seen, known and loved. We are heard by the Creator. Above the roar of the seas and the crash of thunder, we are heard. In the dark of night, we are seen. In a place where we are but strangers, we are known so intimately by the God who made us. 

This is the hope in which we trust. When we are weary of doing good. Tired of being the one that says no when the world screams yes. When this world feels lonely. As if you are the only one still holding onto the banner of Truth, please know dear one that you are not alone. That you are never left in the dark. When it seems that way, here is a song that can remind you of how much our God loves us. How He still goes after each of the ninety-nine to bring them back to Him. Safe and secure in the arms of Jesus.