When I Forget You See Me

By Shannon Pope Woodward

Life ebbs and flows in and out of seasons...good, bad, joyful, or uncertain. Honestly, some seasons can lead to broken places in our hearts. As a believer going through a tough season, you might lapse into moments of forgetting who God is and need reminders.

In this story, you will look at the life of Hagar and compare her situation or circumstances to your own. Consider a few questions: How did you get here? What is your place? What do you know about the character of God? What are His promises? Even if, or when you forget what you know, God reminds you like he did Hagar. God met her at her lowest place and gave her hope. At that encounter, Hagar was so moved she gave God the name El Roi, The God who sees me.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Oct 9, 2023
• ISBN: 9798385005079

Shannon Pope Woodward

Shannon Pope Woodward has spent most of her life in the Texas Panhandle. She has served alongside her husband, Ronnie, as Senior Pastors of Family Worship Center in Amarillo, Texas. She has been privileged to lead and speak at various youth and women’s events. Shannon is a West Texas A&M University graduate with a master’s degree from Lamar University in Education Administration. She has served in various roles in education while also serving the congregation of Family Worship Center. If asked, she would say her favorite titles are wife, mom, and Gaga.

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Copyright © 2023 Shannon Pope Woodward.

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ISBN: 979-8-3850-0506-2 (sc)

ISBN: 979-8-3850-0505-5 (hc)

ISBN: 979-8-3850-0507-9 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2023915038

WestBow Press rev. date: 09/13/2023

Contents

Dedication

1   When I Forget

2   How Did I Get Here?

3   Know Your Place

4   What I Know About God

5   Go Back, Submit, and Receive the Promise

6   When Forgotten, God Reminds.

7   Mindful Thinking

Endnotes

Dedication

To my husband, Ronnie, you are my biggest cheerleader and greatest encourager! To my girls, Tana and Tori, and their husbands, Cameron and Andrew, who listen to my crazy ideas and bring me much laughter and joy. To my parents, James and Tricia, Mary Lou and Raul, and my sweet mother-in-law, Gerry. You are an everlasting source of strength and wisdom. I love you all.

To my precious Tuesday night bible study group. You offered me your ears and hearts as I presented this study. Your heartfelt engagement and our time of fellowship always usher in the presence of the Lord and leaves me with a heart full of gladness. This season with you has been a great source of joy, and I am thankful.

And to JoDell Tigrett. You poured into my life over a year ago with a word from the Lord that I needed to write a book. This is the follow-up to that word received. Thank you!

Introduction

THE GOD WHO SEES ME

This phrase has hung in my mind for months, like the sweet aroma of honeysuckle carried in a warm summer breeze. It was drawing me to ponder upon it. It kept me awake at night and was on my mind first thing in the morning. It didn’t give any consideration to what I might be doing. It would pop into my mind to ponder further while cleaning, showering, driving down the road, sitting in church, or spending time with my family.

So, I studied and presented this to my Tuesday night bible study group of fabulous women to see if it struck a chord with them as it did with me. I became vulnerable and shared many of my own stories, struggles, and how I was relating the season I had walked through and continued walking through to the story in Genesis 16.

These women are all different ages, from early twenties to mid-seventies, and I could see how it landed on each heart through our conversations. We’ve all had a place or a season where we needed a reminder that God sees us. And I imagine you do as well.

As you read and study along with me, you will see that the Lord saw YOU in and through Hagar’s story. Right there in her story.

He glanced through space and time to see you…to see me–to see all of us. We were on the mind of Jesus as he spoke to Hagar and looked forward 2,000 years to his sacrifice on the cross. And then again, to this very moment, seeing you right where you are and the circumstance or season you may be battling. He sees you.

This book will be an easy read. I decided to include you in the study as you will come across reflection questions in each chapter’s writing. I’ve left a space at the end of each chapter for you to ponder each question and write your answers. If you feel encouraged to share this with friends at a bible study, as I did with my group, you can use the questions as a discussion guide.

My prayer for you is that as your eyes graze across the words of this book, page after page, you will discover and fully know He is indeed El Roi, The God who sees me. And I hope it bombards your thoughts.

Chapter 1

WHEN I FORGET

When I was a young adult, twenty-two years old to be exact, my home church was a little church in Amarillo, Texas. At this time in my life, I had joined what I deemed a Protestant version of the nunnery called Master’s Commission. This was a yearlong commitment devoted to ministering on the weekends in little churches in the panhandle of Texas. There was no dating during the yearlong commitment; instead, there was class time to work toward a ministerial license and cleaning. Lots of cleaning.

One weekend our group traveled