El Roi: He Sees Your Tears

Have you ever walked into a room full of people you don’t know and hoped no one noticed you? But at the same time, you desperately needed someone to see you? To see the real person God created you to be? Not the imitation defined by the perceptions and expectations of the people around you?

I think it is quite possible that Hagar often felt this way. I have to admit she’s not the first person who comes to mind when I think about people in the Bible who cried. She had no control over her own life or the people who used her for their own gain. In fact, she is barely mentioned.  Nevertheless, there is much we can learn from her tears. 

Some theologians think Hagar was Pharaoh’s daughter, but we don’t know for sure. We do know, however, that Pharaoh gave her to Abram to be Sarai’s handmaiden. Sarai later gave her to Abram to be their surrogate mother and produce the heir God had promised them. Then, when Hagar conceived, he gave her back to Sarai to be her servant and “to deal with as she saw fit.” Unfortunately, Sarai chose to treat Hagar so harshly that she ran away into the desert.

That’s where the angel of the Lord found her. “Where are you going? And where are you coming from?”

He heard Hagar’s tears. He understood her despair.

He saw HER and knew her by name. 

He acknowledged her situation, but He did not remove her from it. In fact, he told her to return to Sarai and Abram. He had a plan to use her circumstances that required her to not only be present but to be submissive. 

Before he sent her back to Sarai, however, he promised he would give her “more descendants than she could count.” Most importantly, he went with her.

He saw her. He heard her. He knew her, her purpose, and her future. He armed her with a promise and stayed with her through it all. 

The same is true for us today. 

When you don’t feel seen or think anyone hears…

When you don’t feel like you have any control over your own life…

When you feel like everyone is using you for their own gain…

When you just want to run away but don’t even know where…

God does!

He sees you and hears you. He knows you, your purpose, your promise, and your plan. Sometimes that plan takes you through the fire, but you can hold fast to the knowledge that El Roi (the God who sees you) will never leave you or forsake you. 

So the next time you walk into a room, remember it doesn’t matter whether anyone sees you because El Roi does!