“The angel of the LORD found Hagar near a spring in the desert….”
Genesis 16: 7a
It seems so obvious that God sees everyone, doesn’t it? After all, he is El Roi, the one who sees. It is easy to bear assent to this truth with one’s mind, but when life gets tough many of us feel abandoned by God. When the bottom drops out of our best laid plans and confusion sets in, we often wonder, “Where is God in all this?” This is probably how Hagar felt when she fled from her mistress, Sarai. For one brief moment, Hagar’s status as a servant changed when Abram had taken her to produce a child on behalf of her barren mistress Sarai. But when she began to despise her mistress, their relationship soured, and Sarai began to mistreat Hagar causing her to flee to the desert. Out in the desert, Hagar was exposed to the nomadic traders of the day; she was unprotected, exhausted, confused and pregnant.
In this place of suffering, Hagar must have wondered if the God of Abram cared about her at all. In this place of confusion, Hagar must have wondered if she was totally abandoned by everyone, including God, and who can blame her? She was all alone. Friend, can you relate? Have you been to this place of suffering? Have you ever wondered whether God sees you; whether he cares about what you are going through? Have you ever felt abandoned by everyone, including God? In the midst of her affliction, the Lord saw Hagar. The Bible records, “the angel of the LORD found Hagar near the spring in the desert… (Genesis 16: 7a)” and restored her hope. It was then that Hagar’s questions were answered, “Yes, God saw her; yes, God saw her affliction; yes, God saw her predicament, and now Hagar in turn could clearly see that the God of compassion and mercy was with her, even in the desert.
Dear friend, where are you? Are you in the desert? Be encouraged, the God of compassion and mercy sees you. He saw Adam and Eve in their guilt hiding in the garden; he saw Hagar in her distress in the desert; he saw Hannah in the torment of her barrenness in that temple; he saw Zacchaeus, the tax collector, up in the tree; he saw David in the field challenging Goliath, he saw the need of the prostitute at his feet. He sees all things and he sees everywhere. And today, he sees you right where you are and declares, “For I know the plans I have for you, …plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. He indeed is El Roi, the God who sees. I pray that like Hagar, you will in turn, see him as the God of mercy and compassion in your situation.
Almighty God, thank you for seeing me in my situation. I declare by faith that you have given me victory over my current circumstance, through the name of Jesus Christ, my Savior. Now Gentle Father, help me, through the power of the Holy Spirit, to see others, as you see them. Amen.