By Peggy Engeler

El Roi

There is an interesting story in the 16th chapter of Genesis about a sort of love triangle. God promised Abraham and Sarah a son, but Sarah got tired of waiting and thought maybe the Lord needed a little help, so she sent Hagar, her maid to Abraham to hurry things along. She spent the night with Abraham and sure enough, a son was born just as Sarah planned. But Ishmael was not the son of promise and not waiting on the Lord can result in some troubled times and it wasn’t long until those troubled times were upon them. Sarah remained barren and unhappy, and Hagar, now pregnant, showed contempt for Sarah until Sarah mistreated Hagar so badly she ran away (Genesis 16:6).

Here is where it gets interesting. The angel of the Lord found Hagar by a spring in the wilderness and told her to return to her mistress and submit to her; that she would indeed have a son to be named Ismael for the Lord heard her cry of affliction (Genesis 16:11).

Here is the good part: “So she (Hagar). named the Lord who spoke to her, “You are El-Roi, the God who sees me” (Genesis 16:13). God is known by a lot of names, but I do not know of anyone else in the Bible, Jew or Gentile, man or woman, who, according to scripture, personally named God. El Roi is one of the many names for God in the Bible.

How exciting and reassuring to realize that we are never alone because we serve a God who sees us, who numbers the hairs on our head and counts every tear. He knows every detail of our circumstances and what we are going through.

“God says, before I formed you in the womb, I knew you” (Jeremiah 1:5).

“For it was you who created my inward parts; you knit me together in my mother’s womb” (Psalm 139:13).

Sisters, our God, the One who sees us, is not ever taken by surprise or blind to whatever situation we may find ourself. He sees everything and knows what is happening to us, good or bad, every second of every day. Everything – our whole life – is always right before his eyes.

I hope this inspires you to live like the daughter of a King – a King who sees you and loves you extravagantly.

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