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"She gave this name to the Lord who spoke to her: 'You are the God who sees me'..." Genesis 16:13
Sometimes when we are facing discouraging circumstances we feel like God does not see us or hear us, but He does. Hagar is a prime example. She fled from her mistress Sarai after Sarai treated Hagar poorly. In the midst of Hagar’s tense situation with Sarai, God sent a word of encouragement to Hagar, letting her know all would be well in the end. Hagar had not even begun to pray before God came to the rescue. He spoke to her about her future and directed her on what to do next. Because of this, Hagar called God “El Roi,” the Hebrew name for “The God Who Sees.” Out of all the ways Hagar could describe God, she used this Hebrew word, because this was how she perceived God - one who sees.
We know we can count on God as El Roi, because He is all-seeing. When going through a difficult situation, it can cause doubts over whether God really sees and knows just exactly what we are going through. But we can take heart in remembering Hagar’s situation, in which God answered before she had even called upon His name.
Superheroes are a big part of our culture. We let our children watch Batman, Spiderman, and Superman. Kids and adults alike love to watch superhero movies. Superheroes are often portrayed as coming to the rescue only when someone calls on them or coming only when they see a crime happening, but our God is even better than a superhero, because He is all-seeing, all-knowing, and comes even before we call for help.
Dear Lord, help us to rely upon you fully, never doubting that you see us, but always knowing that you do see and care. Amen.
Take Action
Learn to pray to God as El Roi when praising Him for the situations that He has seen and taken action to accordingly. Look to Hagar’s example to always remember that God is El Roi.
Have you ever doubted God’s goodness? Do you feel like He doesn’t see?