There was nothing but wilderness all around. Fleeing from pain, sent her straight into this land, and I can only assume that Hagar wondered, “What’s the point?  I’m all alone.  I can’t go on.”  Then she found a spring, and there, Hagar’s life was changed.  (Genesis 16) There an angel came to her and asked her a question.  “Where have you come from, and where are you going?”   Do you ever ask yourself the same question?  Especially in times of wilderness, don’t we wonder, “How did I get here?”   Hagar replied, and there she was given a promise.  There was more than the wilderness.  She was to go back to her life of pain, but she would bear a son, and he would be great.  Her pain had a purpose.  Then she called God by a new name, “El Roi…For I have seen the One who sees me.” For in her wilderness and pain, God saw her.  The God who saw Hagar in the wilderness sees us too.

I don’t know about you, but it’s awfully easy for me in my life to get so caught up and see what’s going on around me, that I feel unseen by God. When we feel unseen by others, or don’t like the way things are going in life, that’s when we often question if we’re seen.  In those times, the best thing to do is to turn to and cling to the truths we find in scripture. While the story of Hagar is the only place where we see the name of El Roi, all throughout scripture we are given examples of how God sees us in every circumstance. 

God sees us in our wilderness.  Just like with Hagar, God sees us in the hard times.  We see in Psalm 56:8, God sees our tears and keeps track of them.  He knows our wanderings.  Even when we feel unseen, He still sees.  Not only does He see us, but He gives us a promise in those hard times. “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”  (Isaiah 41:10)  He doesn’t see us and leave us, but God sees our needs and meets them.  He sees us and makes a way in our wilderness. (Psalm 33:18-19)

God sees us in our victories. Zephaniah chapter three tells about a time of rejoicing because of restoration.  In verse 17, we see that God not only sees the rejoicing, but joins in with it, because He delights in us!  What a blessing to know that God sees the good and the bad.

God sees us in the mundane.  One of the most popular places to find scriptures about God seeing and knowing us is found in Psalm 139.  There we see how God intricately knows and sees us. He searches us to see every detail of our lives. He sees every day of our lives (v. 16), even the ones that seem completely unremarkable.  Whether you’re a mom wiping snot for the 50th time, a husband, trying to get through the day to pay the bills, or just doing what you have to do until the next sunrise, whatever your day brings you’re still seen.  

God sees us in our sin.  This one is not as encouraging up front. It’s nice to be seen by God, until we don’t want Him to see what we’re doing. Adam and Eve must have felt the same way when they hid from Him in the garden.  Proverbs 5 talks about those who are in sin, and in verse 21 we are reminded that “For a man’s ways are before the eyes of the Lord.”  That means He sees us even in our sin.  While I know that nothing is hidden from the Lord (Hebrews 4:13) there are some things I wish He didn’t see.  However, even though He sees my failures and sins, God is there waiting and watching, just like the father of the prodigal son.  He’s ready for us to come back to Him and repent.  Even though God sees our mess, He’s still loving and waiting for us to repent and know Him more. (Hosea 6:3)       

So, when I see the story of Hagar and her time in the wilderness, I can remember this truth. When my eyes fail to see Him and all that He’s done and doing, when my blindness makes me feel alone, when the wilderness seems like it will never end, He sees.  Wherever you are in life today may you see the One who sees you.

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