Coram Deo

In a world where so many people often feel invisible, the idea of “being seen” is significant. In the midst of injustice, those living on the margins find hope when someone (anyone!) sees and seeks to understand their situation. When we feel like we toil in obscurity in our jobs, someone taking the time to notice who we are and appreciate what we do can feel life-giving.

In the book of Genesis, the handmaiden/slave Hagar is trapped in a family system and culture that often exploits women and slaves. One can read her fascinating story to discover why she feels so vulnerable and forgotten. In the midst of her distress, an angel of the Lord appears to her with a message of promise and hope. Just when she is about to flee, she feels seen and comes away from the encounter with a newfound resolve and resiliency.

In an expression of praise, Hagar calls the God of Israel El Roi, which means “The God who sees me.” Ro’iy in the original Hebrew can be translated as a shepherd or seeing, looking, or gazing. In Hagar’s experience of feeling invisible and forgotten by everyone else, she found comfort and healing grace in the shepherding care of the God who saw her.

God sees us. Sees you. Sees me. And-this is a good thing.

There are many reasons to believe that God (if God exists) pays no attention to us at all. Many writers throughout the Bible, especially in the Psalms, express their frustration at God’s apparent lack of attention. “Hey! Are you watching any of this?!? Don’t you see the oppression? The violence? The injustice? Is this any way to run a Universe?!? Nearly always, they come around, feeling seen, trusting in God’s ultimate goodness, and finding comfort in the hope that one day–God will set the world right. But there are times when they and we wonder who is minding the store.

El Roi watches, but what does this mean for us?

Over the past few years, one of my favorite stories woven throughout the New Testament is found in the long and loving relationship between the Apostle Paul and the church at Ephesus. For some reason, this little congregation must have held a special place in the Apostle’s heart because they show up in various ways in his letters and other texts.

In many ways, the congregation in Ephesus does so many things well, demonstrating signs of great faithfulness. On the other hand, they always seem on the edge of disaster as they try to figure out how to live as a new community of faith. Their resiliency and fragility feel so familiar to me. In their case, Paul labors over them, teaching, praying, confronting them, encouraging their leaders (including their young pastor, Timothy), and sending them help and resources. Above all, he seems to worry they will lose their first love (their focus on Christ) and the freedom that comes with it.

In his two letters to Timothy, Paul urges the young minister to live his life “before the face of God” or “in the presence of God.” In Latin, that phrase is Coram Deo, and it suggests that we may learn to live our lives, each and every moment, under the loving gaze of God.

El Roi may see us–but do we bother to notice? This is partly what Paul is urging Timothy to do–to respond by knowing and actively abiding in the reality of Coram Deo. Paul’s young protégé is living smack dab amid a life of stress and complexity. He is ministering in Ephesus—teaching, leading, and helping a group of new believers figure out how to live in the world as Jesus’ people. Timothy and friends are dealing with all kinds of issues—how to organize, get along, worship, live with truth and compassion in a fallen world, and not let their lives become addicted to money and stuff. (Thank God we have this all figured out!?!…but these were serious issues in their day…)

In order to navigate this reality with any sense of wisdom, grace, and compassion, Paul reminds Timothy to fix his eyes and set his heart on the God who is watching. The Cotton Patch version from 1 Timothy 6:

“But you, servant of God, turn your back on all of that. Set your heart on justice, honest religion, faith, love, steadiness, and unswerving loyalty. Put all you’ve got into faith’s noble struggle. Stand on tiptoe to get the spiritual life into which you were invited and which you so nobly accepted in front of many others who have done the same thing. Before the face of God (Coram Deo), who makes all things alive & before Christ Jesus…I plead with you to keep the new commandment untainted & without compromise until our Lord Jesus Christ shows up.

Whether we know it or not, we live before the God who watches. Even if we acknowledge this reality, it can be relatively meaningless. There is a practical atheism even among those who believe in which we go about our daily lives with God as an afterthought rather than an abiding Presence and guiding Reality.

To live Coram Deo is to respond to God’s watch care with active interest and intentional embrace rather than passive acknowledgment. With a heart bent in deep reverence and glad surrender, we live each moment under the gaze of the One who sees us, understands and cares about our lives, and is available to help us walk confidently in the light rather than stumble in the darkness.

So Paul reminds Timothy to look up and see that God is watching and watching over him. And in doing so, to flee the things that would hinder us and run toward the things that will free us to live in God.

The great thing about learning to live Coram Deo is that we can all do it. One does not have to be a pastor, monk, or nun. Farmers can live Coram Deo. So can doctors, teachers, mechanics, store owners, nurses, the poor, the wealthy (though Paul has some cautions for them/us), the young and old. Even junior high school boys! Yes, even they can live Coram Deo! (I know this because I have seen it.)

At our best, we don’t just do this individually. Instead, we learn to flesh it out in the context of a community that seeks to pay attention to God’s Presence and leadership. In community, we offer one another help, support, accountability, and simple reminders that my life, your life, and our life together are held in the loving gaze of God. We are seen and known.

So Friends, do you live Coram Deo?  Do you remember that your life is lived before the face of a God who sees you? Are you standing on tiptoe to attend to that Presence and gain a view of the life we are called to share in? In response to God’s loving gaze, do you put all you’ve got into faith’s noble struggle?