The God Who Sees Me (El Roi)

She gave this name to the Lord who spoke to her: “You are the God who sees me (El Roi),” for she said, “I have now seen the One who sees me.”

Genesis 16:13 

She ran. She wouldn’t stop until she was far away. Maybe the wilderness would offer some relief from the harsh treatment she had endured at the hands of her mistress, Sarai. Hagar could go no longer. She stopped by a rare spring in this parched land. 

What would become of her? Hagar was insignificant in society. She was a slave and a foreigner. And now she was pregnant and alone.

A voice shattered the silence. “Hagar, slave of Sarai, where have you come from and where are you going”(Genesis 16:8)?

It was an angel of the Lord! She had heard of the God of her master and mistress, Abram and Sarai. 

The angel continued, “You are now pregnant and you will give birth to a son. You shall name him Ishmael, for the Lord has heard of your misery” (Genesis 16:11).

God knew and cared about her! Hagar enthusiastically proclaimed, “I have now seen the One who sees me” (Genesis 16:13). She gave God the name El Roi, meaning “the God who sees me.”

Do you ever feel like Hagar? You keep hoping and trying, but everything seems to get worse. Where is God in your circumstances? You pray for others and praise God when He moves in their lives. But does He see you?

From heaven the Lord looks down and sees all mankind; from His dwelling place He watches all who live on earth (Psalm 33:13-14). Out of the 7.6 billion people on the planet, he sees you, dear one. 

Encountering El Roi changed Hagar forever. Once a prideful, rebellious woman, Hagar returned to her mistress as a humble, willing servant, knowing in her heart God saw her.

El Roi, we praise you for seeing and caring about our heartaches, fears and circumstances. Thank you that we are never alone.

Terri