In the book of Genesis, a pregnant slave called Hagar was running away from her slave-owner Sarai who had been cruel towards her. The Lord sent an angel.

Then the angel of the LORD told her, “Go back to your mistress and submit to her.” The angel added, “I will increase your descendants so much that they will be too numerous to count.”

The angel of the LORD also said to her:

“You are now pregnant

and you will give birth to a son.

You shall name him Ishmael,

for the LORD has heard of your misery.

He will be a wild donkey of a man;

his hand will be against everyone

and everyone’s hand against him,

and he will live in hostility

toward all his brothers.”

She gave this name to the LORD who spoke to her: “You are the God who sees me,” for she said, “I have now seen the One who sees me.” Genesis 16: 9−13

A well was dug at that place called “Beer Lahai Roi” meaning “well of the Living One who sees me”.

There is a beautiful moment in the Hollywood movie Avatar. Neytiri, the Na’vi warrior and princess of Pandora recognises the call and destiny of the movie’s hero, Jake Sully, the one she has been falling in love with. She says to him, “I see you!” meaning “I understand you; I see into your heart”. “I know who you are.”

Hagar must have felt very alone when she was running away from Sarai. Perhaps she even thought God had abandoned her. After all, Sarai and her husband Abram were recipients of the promises of God. God had spoken to them, and they were prosperous by His hand. Hagar had effectively run away from the people of God’s favour. Why would God care about her?

But God hadn’t forgotten her. He had seen her in the desert. He had seen her in her sadness, and after the angel spoke to her with instructions and promises, she could encourage herself with a new truth in her experience: ‘God sees me, too’; “I have now seen the One who sees me.”

Perhaps we can draw comfort from these words too. Maybe nobody was watching when that guy treated you unkindly, or when you were passed over again for that promotion. Perhaps no other soul was aware of how alone you felt the other day, and no-one can possibly understand the ordeal you have just been through.

But He sees you. And understands you and knows you. And He loves you. The One who, at times, may appear to only bless others, sees you too. Maybe like Hagar, we too can pray, “You are the God who sees me.”

“For we know, brothers and sisters loved by God, that he has chosen you, because our gospel came to you not simply with words but also with power, with the Holy Spirit and deep conviction. You know how we lived among you for your sake. You became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you welcomed the message in the midst of severe suffering with the joy given by the Holy Spirit. 7 And so you became a model to all the believers in Macedonia and Achaia. (1 Thess 1: 4 – 7)

The Thessalonians imitated Paul. They likely saw and heard every (or most) parts of his life as he “lived among them”. In fact, even though the message of Jesus was costly to them causing severe suffering by those who would persecute them, something about the lives of Paul and his team touched and inspired them deeply.

Paul is quick to point out the Holy Spirit’s role in their conversation and subsequent living. The presence of the Spirit was proof of God’s choosing and the joy in their hearts, despite daily hardships, was powerful evidence of God’s grace upon them.

But Paul also recognises that his life and example has influenced them. The Thessalonians imitated Paul. Yes, they sought to imitate the Lord, as Paul taught them about the life of Jesus, but they imitated him, (and his companions Silas and Timothy) too. They welcomed Paul’s message, his teaching and tried to live how they lived.

The Thessalonian believers then modelled Godly lives and Paul’s teaching to “all the believers in Macedonia and Achaia.”

This is quite profound and hugely challenging, especially if we ask, “is anybody imitating me as a representative of Jesus?” Is anybody watching the way we live and wanting to copy it to the glory of God? Are you, am I inspiring others, who in turn will inspire still more to follow Jesus?

Well, before we dive into a hole of discouragement, perhaps we can take a step back and ask who is influencing you? Who is influencing me?

Is it popular culture? My sporting hero, or that person on social media? Is the TV or the internet influencing me? Perhaps the primary question to ask is “am I following Jesus”? Paul said, “I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord” (Phil 3: 8). To him, knowing Jesus was the most important thing. Jesus wasn’t just an influencer to Paul, he was everything. No wonder Paul could confidently write to the Thessalonians about the fact that they imitated him. Because he wanted them to imitate Jesus. He sought to live as an example of his saviour, so that they might be inspired by a visible example of a life submitted to Christ.

So, if we want to inspire others, if we want to model a godly life, then let’s ask ourselves this: are you living a life submitted to Jesus? If we are seeking to do that, then that is, surely, the best way to become a model to others.

The LORD our God said to us at Horeb, “You have stayed long enough at this mountain. Break camp and advance into the hill country of the Amorites; go to all the neighbouring peoples in the Arabah, in the mountains, in the western foothills, in the Negev and along the coast, to the land of the Canaanites and to Lebanon, as far as the great river, the Euphrates. See, I have given you this land. Go in and take possession of the land the LORD swore he would give to your fathers—to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob—and to their descendants after them.” (Deut 1: 6 – 8)

I wonder if God is saying that to you: “you have stayed in this place long enough and it’s time to move on. Go in and take possession of the land”.

Now, of course, there are times to “hang in there”, persevere with people or situations, and there are seasons when we must wait on the Lord. God is not in a hurry, and to walk away from a challenge or a difficult set of circumstances might not be the right thing to do. God may want us to go through it and grow through it.

But there are also times to leave and take possession somewhere else. How might we discern the difference?

Obviously, there isn’t a “cookie-cutter” answer to that question, but perhaps there are some clues in today’s verses.

First, God’s people knew there was a big picture. A bigger picture than living next to a mountain. They were called to the Promised Land, not Mt Horeb. The mountain was always going to be temporary. Perhaps there are moments when it is appropriate to pray, “Lord, what is the big picture of your will for me? Have I become too comfortable where I am? Have I completed all the work you called me to do here? Is there a further horizon I must walk towards?”

Second, and related to the first, what has God already given you that you are not living in the good of? A calling or a sense of something more. What have you not yet taken possession of? The Lord said, “see I have given you this land. Go in and take possession…” Perhaps you have a talent that you can’t use where you are. Perhaps you have a sense of call that is not realised where you are currently serving. It might be that doors are closed at your own Mt Horeb that prevent you from improving and growing.

Within his sovereign purposes, God has a destiny for each one of us. Staying where we are when we need to embrace the challenges of leaving and moving forward may prevent us from experiencing the blessings that he has planned for us. It takes courage to listen to the voice that says, “it is time to break camp and advance”. But there is no other way to get to the Promised Land.