The God Who Sees Me

One of my favorite names for God in the Old Testament was given to Him by Hagar. El Roi, the God who sees me, is a wonderful reminder of the God that we serve. We are never out of the sight of God, even when we feel lost in the shuffle. If He has eyes on the sparrow and clothes the lilies, how much more will He take care of you and me?

The most amazing part of Hagar's story is that though she was not part of God's promise to Abraham and though she was an Egyptian slave, God pursued her into the wilderness. He provided a spring for her to drink from and gave her a promise all her own. Though Hagar was often someone passed over in society, God still saw her. Not only did He see her, but when He named her son Ishmael, he showed that He also heard her cries.

The name "Ishmael" means, "God has heard." I don't know why, but until this year, I had never noticed that part of the story. God didn't just see Hagar and pursue her into the wilderness to "fix" what Abraham and Sarah had broken. No, He had already heard the cries of a broken slave that anyone else would have ignored. You are not forgotten, unseen, or unheard. Where you feel that your circumstances prohibit God from hearing your cries. God is saying, "just wait a little longer... I hear you... I see you... and I'm on my way."