You Are The God Who Sees Me

by Barbara Chadwick

Genesis 16:13-14
Sarai, Abraham’s wife, had no children so she asked Abraham to sleep with her maidservant, Hagar. When Hagar conceived she began to despise Sarai. Sarai complained to Abraham who told her to just deal with it. So Sarai mistreated Hagar and Hagar ran away.

The angel of the Lord finds Hagar near a spring in the desert. He talks to her and tells her to go back to her mistress and submit to her. In verse 11 the angel says to her, “You are now with child and you will have a son. You shall name him Ishmael, for the Lord has heard of your misery.” (Ishmael means God hears) God had heard her cries.

“She gave this name to the Lord who spoke to her: ‘You are the God who sees me,’ for she said, ‘I have now seen the One who sees me,’ That is why the well was Beer Lahai Roi.” Beer Lahai Roi means well of the Living One who sees me.

Lord God, You see us? Do you see us when our sickness makes us weak, when our pain consumes our minds and we forget to praise You? Do you see us when our feelings are hurt, when we are criticized and we cower in our darkness and our prayers seem to rise only to the ceiling? Do you see us when we have financial struggles and we feel like You are withholding Your wisdom and Blessings?

Help us, Lord. Give us strength to look up and carry on. Your eyes see us. Lift our faces to You as a mother lifts the face of her child and says, “Look at me, I’m speaking to you.” Because only then can we face the day. Only then can we face the situation. Only then can we experience the blessing of Your presence, “The living One who sees me.”