From time to time, I love to travel. Recently, I was in a place surrounded by hundreds of people going their way and about their business.

Born and raised in Natchez, I was not accustomed with this type of environment. The only crowd we would get would be the seasonal out-of-town visitors who came to see the antebellum houses. As I watched the crowd, I had this overwhelming realization that I was only one of billions and billions of people in this world.

I could literally see myself from God’s angle (He sits high and looks low). As I looked down from above, I could see only a little speck among all the people, and that speck was me. I knew that it was me, but then I thought, all these people, billions of people, “God, do you see me?” Hello, I’m right here God.

My mind went back to when I was a child, when my mother would play this game with me. I would be in the same room as she and would call my name, and she would look at me and pretend I was invisible. Then she would say, I hear someone talking, but I don’t see anyone. I would say; “Here I am momma,” and she would say “I don’t see you.” If anyone else was in the room with us, she would have them play along and pretend as though they could not see me either.

And, as a child, I didn’t want my mother to ever not be able to see or hear me or for me to think I wasn’t visible. And she would go on and on until I came close enough to touch her and say; “Here I am momma” and she would say, “Here she is, I see you.”

That’s how I felt among the crowd, and just for a moment, like my mother pretended not to see me, I thought that God didn’t see me either. Can you imagine calling for God and Him not hearing or seeing you? Can you imagine God not knowing you exist? I can’t imagine that, and frankly I don’t want to.

The Word of God through the Bible tells us that if we do not make ourselves known to God by our request and actions through Jesus, then He will not know us. It would be like trying to communicate with a stranger, saying you know me and that stranger saying I don’t know you. How can someone know you if you don’t have any contact with them? The same applies with God.

There must be a personal relationship.

This is the time to ask, “Does God know me?”

In this day and time when all storms of life (tragedies, wars and rumors of wars, illness, deaths, financial burdens, etc.) arise, a personal relationship is needed with the one who has all power in His hands.

It’s like knowing people in high places, figuratively speaking.

A personal relationship means that He has a one-on-one bond with you. He knows you because you have allowed Him to be part of your life through your prayers. He knows you because you trust in Him. He knows you because you depend on Him. He knows you because you believe in Him. And because of your relationship with Him, you are not a speck, but He can see you clearly, He knows where you are and He knows your name, which is “My child.”

And so, as I came back down to earth with my thoughts of God not seeing me, I could hear Him, in the spirit, “I see you,” and I smiled with a blessed assurance.

Beverly Gibson is a Ferriday resident.