Thereafter, Hagar used another name to refer to the Lord, who had spoken to her.  She said, “You are the God who sees me.”

If you’re not familiar with the story of Hagar, she’s depicted in the Old Testament as Abraham and Sarah’s servant.  When Sarah grew impatient with being childless, she called Abraham to lay with Hagar so that she could lay claims to an heir through her. 

Hagar was caught in a very tough situation and she eventually fled from Sarah into the wilderness after being treated harshly.  While there alone, an angel of the Lord appeared to her and informed her that her descendants would be multiplied exceedingly and that she too would have a legacy. 

Upon hearing this, Hagar referred to God as El Roi – The God Who Sees.

And Hagar’s story is a lesson to all of us that in our difficult circumstances, God sees us.

Let me give you a real life story:

A few years ago, while driving near Downtown Orlando, one of my coworkers (Theresa) drove past a girl (Brittany) balled up and crying on the sidewalk with a white sheet draped over her.  On a normal day, Theresa would’ve been zoned out listening to the radio.  But on that day, the Holy Spirit convicted her to pull over and ask Brittany if she needed help.

So she parked her car on the corner of the street, cautiously walked over to the Brittany, and asked her if she was ok.  Brittany looked up  at her with tears in her eyes and said, “I just wanna go home.”

 It turns out that she had been released from the hospital across the street earlier that day, but had no money, a dead phone, and no way to get back across town.  She’d tried to get a few city bus drivers to give her a courtesy ride, but none would let her ride… 

Feeling defeated, Brittany, severely underweight and covered in sores, collapsed on the sidewalk in tears. 

Brittany (who later revealed that she was HIV positive) referred to my coworker as her angel. Theresa’s kindness gave her hope, and Brittany confessed that had God not stepped in and convicted Theresa to help her, she would’ve found a way to commit suicide. Life had really taken its toll on Brittany and being stranded was her last straw…

Theresa not only gave her a ride home, but made sure she had something to eat, paid for her next round of medication, and booked a Greyhound bus-trip for Brittany so that she could go to South Florida to visit her mother!

God saw Brittany in her time of need and used my coworker as an instrument to show His compassion and care for her.

So no matter what you’re dealing with: anxiety, depression, mania, OCD, panic, hurt, betrayal, slander, etc., know that God actually does SEE you. I can testify that I’ve experienced this truth SEVERAL times so far in my life.

He sees all of us. He cares deeply about us. And He’s a God of justice.

Sincerely,

Alexia