The God Who Sees Me

When I was a child, my school went on a field trip to see President Ronald Reagan speak. Afterward, we lined the pavement where he would pass as they drove him away. As the car passed by, President Reagan was waving at all of the people.
As my parents questioned my sister and I about the field trip when we got home, they asked if we were able to see President Reagan at a close distance. My sister, who was younger than I was, calmly informed him that yes, she had seen the President, but not only that, he SAW HER and waved at her.
When I think of the passage where God is named "The God Who Sees Me," I always think of the time when President Reagan "saw" my sister. Maybe he did and maybe he didn't. However, when it comes to God, we can rest assured that He is a God who sees us and is intmately aquainted with the details of our lives. He cares and wants to be actively involved. He is not a God that is far off and does not know or care about us. He is the God who sees.

Genesis 16
1 Now Sarai, Abram’s wife, had borne him no children. And she had an Egyptian maidservant whose name was Hagar. 2 So Sarai said to Abram, “See now, the Lord has restrained me from bearing children. Please, go in to my maid; perhaps I shall obtain children by her.” And Abram heeded the voice of Sarai. 3 Then Sarai, Abram’s wife, took Hagar her maid, the Egyptian, and gave her to her husband Abram to be his wife, after Abram had dwelt ten years in the land of Canaan. 4 So he went in to Hagar, and she conceived. And when she saw that she had conceived, her mistress became despised in her eyes. 5 Then Sarai said to Abram, “My wrong be upon you! I gave my maid into your embrace; and when she saw that she had conceived, I became despised in her eyes. The Lord judge between you and me.” 6 So Abram said to Sarai, “Indeed your maid is in your hand; do to her as you please.” And when Sarai dealt harshly with her, she fled from her presence. 7 Now the Angel of the Lord found her by a spring of water in the wilderness, by the spring on the way to Shur. 8 And He said, “Hagar, Sarai’s maid, where have you come from, and where are you going?” She said, “I am fleeing from the presence of my mistress Sarai.” 9 The Angel of the Lord said to her, “Return to your mistress, and submit yourself under her hand.” 10 Then the Angel of the Lord said to her, “I will multiply your descendants exceedingly, so that they shall not be counted for multitude.” 11 And the Angel of the Lord said to her:

“Behold, you are with child,
And you shall bear a son.
You shall call his name Ishmael,
Because the Lord has heard your affliction.
12 He shall be a wild man;
His hand shall be against every man,
And every man’s hand against him.
And he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren.”

13 Then she called the name of the Lord who spoke to her, You-Are-the-God-Who-Sees; for she said, “Have I also here seen Him who sees me?”

1. Sometimes life is a struggle

The angel asks Hagar 2 questions.

Where are you coming from?

Where are you going?

She answers where she came from, but she does not know where she is going.

She is pregnant.

She is alone.

She is in the wilderness.

She does not know what to do.

Her future is uncertain.

Whoever said the Bible is not interesting? This story is filled with all the elements on a daytime soap opera!

Part of the situation was out of Hagar’s control. The whole plan to conceive a child was Sarah’s idea. Hagar was obligated to obey her mistress.

Part of the situation was Hagar’s fault. The Word says that when she saw that she was pregnant that she despised her mistress. She made Sarah mad. She did not handle the situation in the wisest manner. Sarah decided to play tough and sent her away.

2. God sees our struggles.


Genesis 16:7 says The angel of the LORD found Hagar near a spring in the desert; it was the spring that is beside the road to Shur. Hagar was homeless, hungry, broke --- all alone and pregnant in a vast wilderness. She was a “nobody” with nothing to offer.
Worst of all, the very people who should have helped her … Abraham and Sarah … the people who knew God … they were the ones who were hurting her. But God did not abandon Hagar. God went to her … right where she was. Notice how specific this verse is. God knew exactly where Hagar was, and He knew just the moment when she would be ready to listen to what He had to say.

In your darkest moment, when your problem seems too ugly and twisted and complicated to solve, God sees you. God knows exactly where you are --- and He will come to you. Hagar didn’t expect it. Genesis 16:13 tells how she reacted: 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."

Hagar gave God the name “El Roi” – the God who sees. This is the only time this Title is applied to God, and it came from a runaway slave who found herself in the middle of a hopeless, tangled mess. God sees your heartache. He sees your struggles. He understands your turmoil. God is there with you at your lowest point. He is YOUR El Roi – He is the God who sees you.


3. God offers us a solution.

Like a knowledgeable Consultant, God always knows the changes we need to make. He knows exactly what will make things better … and He knows exactly what will make things worse. In Hagar’s case, the angel of the LORD told her, "Go back to your mistress and submit to her." Genesis 16:9

Hagar did part of what God told her to do. She DID return to Sarah. But Hagar did not do ALL God told her to do. If she had truly submitted to Sarah, things would have gone a lot better for her. As it was, hatred grew between Hagar and Sarah. Eventually, Hagar and Ishmael had to leave the protection of Abraham’s home. They ended up back in the wilderness … in the same desperate situation Hagar was in before. (We’re still suffering the ramifications of all this in the Middle East today!)


　

Sometimes God’s solution is not what we think it should be. I’m sure Hagar would have loved for God’s solution to be something else, like sending a rich and handsome man to fall in love with her and sweep her off her feet and carry her off to a castle and live happily ever after.

We see continuously that many times, the path that is best for us is not the easy one, but the road less traveled. But we have all lived long enough to know that the things in life that are worth having are worth the struggle. Any woman who has given birth can attest to this fact. J

However, we know that when we do things God’s way, even when it is not the easiest, the rewards far outweigh the cost.


CONCLUSION:


The main thing I want you to hear today is this: no problem is too big for our God. You will never hear God say, “I can’t see any solution to this big mess. Why don’t you just give up!” God knows exactly what you need to do to turn your problem around.



I’ve known people whose lives were completely transformed after they “Consulted” with God and followed His plan for their lives.

On the other hand, I’ve met people who started out doing what God said. But then --- after things got better --- they decided they didn’t need God any more. And --- like Hagar --- they ended up right back where they started.

When you face difficulties in your life, are you aware that somewhere above you is the watchful eye of “El Roi,” the God who sees? Will you allow God to be your Consultant? Will you obey Him?

No matter how ugly or complicated or hopeless your situation seems, remember that God sees YOU. He will show you what to do --- step by step --- if only you will listen and obey.