Believe it or not, there is glory to be found in the telling of one’s story, no matter how painful. There is God’s glory to be found as well. We are talking about the honor and distinction of our unique stories. And the ultimate honor and distinction of God’s redemptive larger story. Maybe this glory is easier to picture as the triumph of realizing that God can and does bring good out of what is meant for evil or destruction. His glory is shown in His redemptive character. He lifts. He hears. He sees.

Psalm 3:3 (ESV) says, “But you, O Lord, are a shield about me, my glory, and the lifter of my head. “How does the Lord lift our heads from our distress, our suffering, our disappointments, our unfulfilled dreams, our dashed hopes?

In a recent training session for lay counselors, I heard how very important this statement is: “Everyone has a story to tell and everyone should tell their story.” The ministry of a lay counselor is to create a safe environment for the sharing of one’s story, confidential and caring listening, and no quick fixes. Really it is the ministry of presence. But, what if the story isn’t pretty? What if the story doesn’t have a happy ending? What if the process of telling the story is hurtful? difficult? energy-sapping? extremely stressful?

Deep down, don’t we all wish that somebody could really see us? really hear us? Especially in the hardest places of our lives? Granted, human listeners have serious shortcomings in trying to see us or hear us, but God does not.

First we have to see and hear what God says about Himself in His Word. Here, He promises to hear us when we call on Him. Psalm 4:3 says, “But know that the Lord has set apart the godly for Himself; the Lord hears when I call to Him.” Psalm 5:3 says, “O Lord, in the morning You hear my voice; in the morning I prepare a sacrifice for you and watch.” Psalm 6:9 says, “The Lord has heard my plea; the Lord accepts my prayer.” Psalm 10:17 says, “O Lord, You hear the desire of the afflicted; You will strengthen their heart; You will incline Your ear.”

God also sees us. Really sees us. This is one of His attributes. A very gripping story in the Bible is about Hagar and her baby Ishmael being cast out of the house of Abraham when Isaac was born. Having run out of drinking water, she cried out to the Lord Who supplied a miracle – a well. Genesis 16:13 (ESV) says, “So she [Hagar] called the name of the Lord who spoke to her, ‘You are a God of seeing,’ for she said, ‘Truly here I have seen Him who looks after me.’ ” In the New King James Version, Genesis 16:13 reads, “Then she [Hagar] called the name of the Lord who spoke to her, You-Are-the-God-Who-Sees; for she said, ‘Have I also here seen Him who sees me?’ “

God sees beyond what others see. He sees the inside of us. He sees our heartaches, our fears, our failures, our betrayals. I Samuel 16:7 says, “But the Lord said to Samuel, ‘Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have not rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.’ “

God sees our brokenness. He understands us. He empathizes. He has compassion. He has mercy. Job 28:10 says, “He cuts out channels in the rocks, and His eye sees every precious thing.”

Remember that God is the “lifter of our heads.” He hears us. He sees us. And, in His hearing and seeing, He values us as His precious possessions and makes a channel for us when we express that we have hit a solid rock wall in our circumstances. Just as Hagar experienced, God makes a way. It might not be what we expect, but it is still a channel in the rocks.