El Roi, the God Who Sees

By: Rebekah Hargraves

Photo Courtesy of Ben White

"Then she called the name of the Lord who spoke to her, You-Are-the-God-Who-Sees; for she said, 'Have I also here seen Him who sees me?'” 

~Genesis 16:13

It is such a beautiful practice to study the names of God, a practice which uniquely enables us to get to know our Lord better and to develop a closer understanding of His heart.
Today we are going to focus on the name Hagar attributed to Him in Genesis 16, El Roi, or "God of Seeing".

When You Feel Unseen and Alone

Are you going through a hard season in your life where you feel like you are all alone and nobody cares? Perhaps you are a young mama at home with your little children, working day after day to care for them and feel like no one sees or appreciates your work. Maybe you are going through a dark time with your husband having betrayed you and you are feeling ignored and rejected, alone in your pain and heartache. Or perhaps you recently lost a dear loved one, someone who always went out of their way to take time to bless and encourage you and now you feel like you have no one who cares. 

May I encourage you today? God sees. He cares. And He is with you.

Comfort in the Wilderness

If anyone could understand how you are feeling right now, it would be Hagar. You can read Hagar's full story for yourself in Genesis 16, but suffice it to say that this poor woman felt the same feelings of rejection, loneliness, and misunderstanding that you may be experiencing.

Hagar was Sarah's maid (Sarah being Abraham's wife) and was a majorly faithful one at that! She did all of Sarah's bidding - even the bidding which seems downright crazy and repulsive to us today. Yet, her obedience to Sarah - what should have led to her finding favor in her mistress' eyes - actually led to Sarah treating her harshly and unfairly. In fact, Genesis 16:6 says, "and when Sarai (Sarah) dealt harshly with her, she fled from her presence." 

In the following verses, we see that Hagar traveled into the wilderness upon leaving Sarah and was met there by the Angel of the Lord Himself, Who comforted her, "heard [her] affliction", and promised to "multiply [her] descendants exceedingly". Verse 13 goes on to say, "Then she called the name of the Lordwho spoke to her, You-Are-the-God-Who-Sees". 

Friend, take heart and see - the Lord is not unfeeling towards us! Far from it. He loves us deeply, views us tenderly as His daughters, and is always present - even when we are feeling hurt and alone, rejected and unseen.

Other Passages to Remember

I recently came across Hebrews 6:10, and it instantly struck me:

"For God is not unjust to forget your work and labor of love which you have shown toward His name, in that you have ministered to the saints, and do minister."

How well that applies to us busy ladies who are daily tending to the never-ending needs of our children or working to care for our husbands or dedicating time to the upkeep and productivity of our homes! We may feel unseen, forgotten, and unappreciated, but we simply are not. Our Lord sees our faithful work, remembers it, and values it.

The following are some other passages I find encouraging in this area:

"But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly." ~Matthew 6:3-4

" Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the Lord your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you.” ~Deuteronomy 31:6

Be Encouraged Today!

Sweet reader, please know that you are not alone. Whether you are once again washing a tower of dishes at your kitchen sink or staring at yet another newly-arrived bill in the mail, wondering how you will be able to pay it, or reeling from the heartache of some recent tragedy in your life, He sees you. Right where you are, He sees you. In this very moment with exactly what you are doing in this day, He sees you. And He will never look away.