El Roi: The God who sees me

El Roi: The God who sees me.

Hagar was an Egyptian slave. When Abraham and Sarah couldn't yet conceive, they grew impatient and were unable to wait on the promise of the Lord. As a result, Hagar was given to Abraham so that Sarah could have children through her.

Bearing in mind that Hagar was a slave, it means that she probably didn't have a choice and she was bound to heed the word of her mistress Sarah. After Hagar conceived, she stopped respecting Sarah and as a result, Sarah mistreated Hagar.

Genesis 16:4 (NKJV)

So he went in to Hagar, and she conceived. And when she saw that she had conceived, her mistress became despised in her eyes.

Genesis 16:4 (EASY)

Abram had sex with Hagar and she became pregnant. When Hagar knew that she was pregnant, she no longer respected Sarai.

As a result, Sarah dealt harshly with Hagar, and she fled into the wilderness where she met with the Angel of the Lord. The Angel of the Lord told Hagar to go back to Sarah and submit to her authority, and that Hagar would give birth to a son and her descendants would be multiplied. Hagar was mistreated, probably hopeless with no idea where to go from there, but God met her. Hagar's story is proof that God meets us wherever we are. There's no place too far, too deep or too dark for Him to reach us. He saw her.

Genesis 16:13 (EASY)

When Hagar heard what the angel said, she said to herself, 'I have seen the God who sees me!' So she called it the Lord 'The God who sees me'. 

This verse has been on my mind lately because I know that God sees me, but I don't always see Him. He has done so many things in my life that I wouldn't be able to recognize without His help. There are prayers that I prayed that He has answered, and I just didn't realize. We have become so accustomed to the idea that God is far, so much so that we have blinded ourselves. We are not open to the idea of seeing Him because we treat Him like an idea and not a reality.

However, being aware and fully grasping the fact that He sees me has brought a different awareness in my relationship with Him. I am more aware that I cannot pretend when I am in His presence. He sees every part of me because He created me. HE SEES ME.

Being seen by God sounds beautiful, but in the moments where I just want to hide, being seen doesn't feel as desirable. Rather it feels daunting. Sometimes I don't want to be in His presence because I know that I won't be able to hide. All my sadness, hurt and anger are not hidden from Him, so it means that I cannot avoid them. Being in His presence, being seen by Him is a different level of vulnerability that I cannot put into words.

Being seen by Him brings a sense of accountability. When the Angel of the Lord spoke to Hagar, He told her to submit to Sarah. Hagar's predicament didn't excuse her mistreatment of Sarah. Hagar's behaviour was corrected and she was held accountable for her actions. This is not to ignore Sarah's actions. Sarah dealt harshly with Hagar to the point where Hagar ran into the wilderness. How horrible must it have been for Hagar to choose the wilderness? In the wilderness, there is no food, water and there are harsh weather conditions.

Lately my prayers have mostly been unending tears. When I am in His presence, all my feelings are poured out before Him. I can go about my day as usual, doing all the normal things. But the moment I begin to pray, I just cry and cry and cry and cry and cry and cry and cry (I think you get the point). I am vulnerable with Him because I know that He will comfort me the best because He knows me the best.

The Lord's appearance is very significant when we take into account that Hagar was an Egyptian. I don't know if she knew or even believed in the Lord but I would like to assume that the encounter she had changed everything. You cannot encounter the Lord and remain the same.

In a moment where it seemed like everything was crumbling down, she met her Creator. She saw the One who sees her. He didn't just see her but He blessed her. He eased any anxieties she might have had about the child she was carrying. He assured her that her son, Ishmael, would be blessed.

There will be times where you feel overlooked, ignored, disregarded, unappreciated and unseen. But I am writing to remind you and me that He is El Roi. God is not a man that He should forget. He sees you. He sees you. HE SEES YOU!!

In your pain, in your joy, in your trials, in the wilderness, wherever you might be, He is there. There's no pit that's too deep for Him. There's no darkness that He cannot handle. There's no wound that He cannot heal. There's no sickness that He cannot heal. There's no bondage that He cannot free you from. 

I don't think I can stress this enough but He sees you. There was a day where I was on campus crying and I told the Lord that I needed His comfort. I don't know how exactly I wanted Him to comfort me in that moment, but a few minutes later, two people came to talk to me. After the conversation, I was comforted and I was reminded of who He is. I left the conversation filled with joy and strengthened in my faith.

It's barely been two months into 2026 and I cannot even begin to describe the heartbreak I have experienced. However, in the midst of it all, I can confidently say that I have seen the One who sees me. If you haven't seen Him, desire Him and pursue Him. He is never too far. He is standing at the door, knocking and waiting for you to open up the doors of your heart. 

Revelation 3:20 (NKJV)

Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.

He loved us so much that He gave His life so that we may have eternal life. He died for you and me. He drank of the cup of suffering so that we wouldn't have to. He endured the pain of the cross because He saw the joy that would come. We often forget that Jesus was fully human when He died for us. I am sure His fight-or-flight response was screaming for Him to flee, screaming for Him to choose Himself, to choose life. But because He had you and me in mind, He chose suffering, He chose humiliation, He chose death. He chose you because He saw you and He still sees you.

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