El Roi ~ The God Who Sees

"And the angel of the LORD said unto her, Behold, thou art with child, and shalt bear a son, and shalt call his name Ishmael; because the LORD hath heard thy affliction. And he will be a wild man; his hand will be against every man, and every man's hand against him; and he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren. And she called the name of the LORD that spake unto her, Thou God seest me: for she said, Have I also here looked after him that seeth me? Wherefore the well was called Beer-lahai-roi; behold, it is between Kadesh and Bered." ~Genesis 16:11-14

This is a familiar portion of Scripture. In chapter 16 of Genesis, Hagar became Abraham's wife. When Sarah cast Hagar out of the house, Hagar fled to the wilderness where she was met by God. He tells her that he will multiply her seed and that she would name her son Ishmael. She named the place El-Roi, which interpreted is "the God who sees." Beer-lahai-roi, then, would mean "the well of him that liveth and seeth me." 

I'm sure Hagar felt very much alone when she was in the wilderness. God met her where she was though, and she obviously noticed his presence because she called him El-Roi. Today, in January 2021, God is still El-Roi. Psalm chapter 139 is full of comforting verses that God sees and knows you. Maybe you are discouraged about the events of the past few months and feel alone, or maybe you are going through a trial and are lonely. Or maybe everything is going alright for you. No matter what season of life you are in, remember that God sees everything. He sees your loneliness.  He sees your trials. He sees the devices of the wicked. He sees the hearts of his people, and he hears their prayers.  Job 34:21 says "For his eyes are upon the ways of man, and he seeth all his goings."

Whatever happens in our country and in our world this year, be encouraged that our God, who never changes, always sees. He is El-Roi. 

"The eyes of the Lord are in every place, beholding the evil and the good." ~Proverbs 15:3

Please keep praying, dear friend, and may God bless you. 

with love, 

Ashley

1 Peter 3:12 ~ "For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil."

August 2020-January 2021

Hello and happy new year! 

I had planned to write one more post last year, but it didn't happen. So here we are in a new year, 2021. I hope you had a joyful Christmas season, and a good start to the new year.  Since I didn't post during college, here's a random picture update from August 2020 till January 2021. 

Right before my mom and Deborah left Sarah, Lauren, and I at college, we drove to Alabama to eat at Lambert's- the home of the throwed roll. 

The painting on the side of their building is so patriotic and beautiful. 

The famous throwed roll....

Flags at college to remember 9/11....

Hurricane Sally brought a lot of rain to Pensacola and did quite a bit of damage to the surrounding areas. Students worked a few days in the communities and on campus, cleaning up debris.  

There were many days where the sky looked like a magnificent painting. 

Sarah turned 23 while at college, so we threw her a little surprise party. :) 

"Florida snow" aka frost. ;) 

It's always fun to drive around looking at Christmas lights. Some houses really go all out on their decorations. 

On the drive back to our hometown after finishing college, we stopped at a park in Tallahassee for a brisk walk. 

This Christmas, we girls had fun learning how to make royal icing for cookies with my aunt. 

We were also excited to meet Harry, my aunt's new puppy. ♥

The ice in the latte made a smile! :) 

Our family has had some really awesome fires this winter. 

January 1st-5th, Sarah and I joined Students for Life in Georgia. Almost 200 students from around the country met in Georgia and together we knocked on 70,000 doors, encouraging voters to vote pro-life in the senator election. There were 22 different vans, and every day, each van went to different neighborhoods campaigning. We also held signs outside the voting precinct on election day. 

Saturday, Jan. 2nd, a group of about 80 people stood outside this abortion clinic holding signs. A man who was not part of our group used a megaphone to preach the gospel and talk to the guys who were going in and out of the clinic. 

Our van group had the opportunity to eat at some interesting places. :) This small restaurant called Big Bang Pizza has robots that serve you. 

The spinach mushroom pizza tasted amazing!

This little pig with a sweater on was just the cutest. 

The weather was absolutely beautiful in Georgia.

While taking group pictures in front of this building, the owner came out and shared the history behind this painting. The left side represents old Georgia (1817) and the right side (pictured below) represents the new Georgia. 

The voting precinct we stood at was a library, and across the street there was this tunnel.

Our van group...

Friends, please pray for our country, pray for President Trump, pray for protection for him and his family, pray for God to work a miracle, pray for the impossible. This whole election thing is not over yet, so do not give up praying. Pray harder than ever before. Trust, yes, because God certainly has a plan, but please please pray that God will turn this thing around and ultimately be glorified in all of it, no matter the outcome. 

Here’s a fun song I think you’ll enjoy called Keep America Great, written by two sisters. :) If you’re viewing this post on your email, click here. They also wrote this song called TWALP, aka “That’s why America Loves President Trump.” :) 

Now, let's chat in the comments! I'd love to hear what your favorite memory was in 2020.  

with love, 

Ashley

Psalm 112:7 ~ He shall not be afraid of evil tidings: his heart is fixed, trusting in the Lord.

Psalm 9:9-10 ~ The Lord also will be a refuge for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble. And they that know thy name will put their trust in thee: for thou, Lord, hast not forsaken them that seek thee.