It was a bad idea followed by a bad decision. Sarah couldn’t have children, so she decided to give her Egyptian maidservant, Hagar, to her husband, Abraham, to be his wife. Abraham complied. When Hagar became pregnant, Sarah despised her and blamed Abraham for the situation. Sarah mistreated her maidservant so much so that Hagar ran for her life.

The angel of the Lord found Hagar near a spring in the desert. He told her to return to Sarah and then instructed that Hagar’s child—a son—should be named Ishmael, which means “God hears.” In response, Hagar gave this name to the Lord—El Roi, which means “The Strong One who sees me.”

Genesis 16:13
So she called the name of the Lord who spoke to her, “You are a God of seeing,” for she said, “Truly here I have seen him who looks after me.”

With amazement and gratitude, Hagar said, “I have seen him who looks after me.” Don’t miss the personal pronoun. God is not a god who only looks down on his creation. Hagar reminds us that God sees us—right where we are.

Maybe you are feeling a lot like Hagar. You have been rejected, mistreated, left alone, abandoned. You feel like you are fending for yourself in the desert. The desert is a dry place, spiritually and emotionally. But please remember this. You are never alone. You serve El Roi. He is the God who sees you. He is aware of your situation. He is right there with you. Take comfort in knowing that you are never out of his sight. You are never out of his care.

The Strong One who sees me,
Look down on me today. I feel alone. I feel lost. I am in a dark place. Remind me that you are with me. Remind me that you will never leave me. Work in my heart and in my circumstances. Allow me to experience your presence. Give me the reassurance that you are the One who sees me. In Jesus’ name. Amen.