The God Who Sees

“So she named the Lord who spoke to her, ‘You are El-Roi’; for she said, ‘Have I really seen God and remained alive after seeing him?’” — Genesis 16:13 (NRSV)

This verse introduces an uncomfortable story in the Bible—Hagar’s. A servant in Abram and Sarai’s household, Hagar is drawn into their desperation for a child. When Sarai gives her to Abram, Hagar conceives—but instead of honor, she receives contempt. Sarai mistreats her. Abram abdicates responsibility. And so, Hagar runs.

Not toward promise, but away from pain. Cast out, used, silenced—she flees into the wilderness with no plan, no protection, no power.

And it is there, in the heat and dust of her despair, that God finds her.

Not Abraham.

Certainly, not Sarah.

But God.

And not with rebuke, but with a question: “Where have you come from, and where are you going?”

God listens. God names her child. God blesses her future. And Hagar, the outsider, becomes the first in scripture to name God: El-Roi—“the God who sees me.”

In a world that often overlooks the hurting, the hidden, the unheard, this story reminds us:

God sees.

God seeks.

God speaks.

And when we feel most invisible, God calls us by name.

So, today I invite you to notice someone who might feel unseen—a neighbor, a coworker, a stranger. Offer a word, a gesture, a prayer that says: 

You are not invisible. 

You are beloved. 

And if you are the one who feels unseen, may Hagar’s story remind you: God sees you. God is with you. And God is not done writing your story.

God of the wilderness and the well, when we feel cast out or cast aside, remind us that you see us, not as problems to fix, but as beloved ones to bless. Give us the courage to name you from our own stories—and to see others with your compassionate gaze. Amen.

Peace & Grace,

Pastor Tim