Beloved, you are never alone. God is always with you. He sees you.
In the Old Testament, God would reveal Himself through names that expressed His character. In Genesis 1:1, He is Elohim, the Creator of Heaven and Earth. In Genesis 17:1, He is El Shaddai, the Almighty God. In Genesis 22:14, He is Jehovah Jireh, our provider. Each of these names reveals an aspect of God’s character that can powerfully impact our lives. I encourage you to seek out the names of God in the Bible and make them personal to you. As I’ve done this, my relationship with my Heavenly Father has deepened tremendously. One of my favorite of God’s names is EL ROI, which can be found in Genesis 16.
The story of Sarah’s barrenness which led Abraham to father a child with his slave is well-known. Instead of trusting God to come through on His promises, this couple took matters into their own hands. It was not Hagar’s choice to go to Abraham. As it is stated in verse 3, Sarah gave her slave to her husband. While this was common in the culture back then, the advantages a slave gained through producing children for their masters were born of the need for survival rather than matters of the heart. While Hagar’s status would “possibly” be improved, still her body and now her child would not be her own. Imagine the emotions flying high in this twisted love triangle. Hagar resented Sarah, Sarah became jealous of Hagar and Abraham removed himself from the problem he helped to create, leaving Hagar to the mercy of his wife. After much abuse from Sarah, Hagar fled. In the wilderness, Hagar was completely alone – A slave. Pregnant. Without hope. Like me, you may have heard a few sermons using this story as an example to warn us about playing God and birthing Ishmaels in our lives, but there is another truth to be gleaned from this story. In the wilderness, Hagar experienced God. Hagar was completely alone or so she thought until the God of all creation appeared to her. Let’s read it together in Genesis 16:7-13:
The angel of the Lord found Hagar beside a spring of water in the wilderness, along the road to Shur. The angel said to her, “Hagar, Sarai’s servant, where have you come from, and where are you going?”
“I’m running away from my mistress, Sarai,” she replied.
The angel of the Lord said to her, “Return to your mistress, and submit to her authority.” Then he added, “I will give you more descendants than you can count.”
And the angel also said, “You are now pregnant and will give birth to a son. You are to name him Ishmael (which means ‘God hears’), for the Lord has heard your cry of distress. This son of yours will be a wild man, as untamed as a wild donkey! He will raise his fist against everyone, and everyone will be against him. Yes, he will live in open hostility against all his relatives.”
Thereafter, Hagar used another name to refer to the Lord, who had spoken to her. She said, “You are the God who sees me.”She also said, “Have I truly seen the One who sees me?” So that well was named Beer-lahai-ROI (which means “well of the Living One who sees me”). It can still be found between Kadesh and Bered.
“God sees me.” Wow. What a powerful revelation. In Hebrew, this name of God is EL ROI – the God who sees. What stands out to me is that Hagar was not even a believer in God. She was a pagan and yet, even though her heart was far from God, He was ever near to hers. God saw her. He saw her despair and brokenness and revealed Himself to her in a powerful way – the God who sees.
Not only that, in naming her son, He also reveals that He is the One that hears and would answer the cry of her heart. This experience touches places in my own heart that cries out for God to see me. I believe we can all relate. Even in a room full of people, we can still feel alone at times. We have all felt misunderstood, unfairly judged, and utterly abandoned. No one on earth can reassure us or truly comfort us in those moments. No one on earth can prove our value. It is only the God of Heaven and earth who gave all for us who can. Beloved, when you have moments of doubt, of feeling alone, and wonder if anyone out there sees… remember El ROI, the God who sees you.
When your heart is breaking from the pain this world often inflicts …. remember God sees you. When you feel alone, discarded and without hope… remember God sees you. When fear, shame, or heartache engulf you… remember God sees you. In moments like these, I remember and cling to EL ROI – the God who sees me. It’s then I can lift my eyes to the One from whom my help comes (Psalm 121:1-2). Knowing He sees me in those moments is EVERYTHING. Beloved, may it be to you as well.
As you remember God sees you, allow His love to engulf you. Receive His forgiveness and healing. Don’t allow the enemy to separate you from the God who promises nothing can ever separate you from Him. Take His hand. Sink into His embrace of love. Remain there, knowing that no matter what you may feel or face, the God who sees you, will make a way where there seems no way. He is your God. He is good. And He loves you eternally.
And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 8:38-39
