Hello dear readers! If you are a born again Christian, you know that your most important relationship is with your God. Yet, in the busyness of life, we can easily grow distracted and lose focus on our Savior. I believe that we need to seek God daily, with all our hearts. We need to know Who He is. In this post, I’m kicking off a new series on the Names of God. Each one reveals something special about His character. I know you’re going to love today’s choice! 

My God is El Roi: the God Who sees me.

God saw Hagar.

In Genesis 16, an Egyptian servant girl named Hagar became pregnant. Due to family conflict, she felt she had no choice but to flee into the wilderness.

In ancient Mesopotamia, there were no pregnancy resource centres. And there definitely wasn’t social assistance for single mothers.

Desperate to escape, Hagar fled into a scorching, dry desert. Assuming she was in the first few months of her pregnancy, she probably felt nauseous, too.

Fear, anger, and confusion swirled through her mind. She had probably never felt further from God in her whole life. 

Exhausted, Hagar finally collapsed by a fountain of water in the desert.

And then, a voice spoke.

It was the angel of the Lord – who was actually God Himself!

That day, Hagar discovered that her God was…

• the God Who seeks us

“And the angel of the Lord found her by a fountain of water in the wilderness, by the fountain in the way to Shur.” (v. 7)

• the God Who listens to us 

“And he said, Hagar, Sarai’s maid, whence camest thou? and whither wilt thou go? And she said, I flee from the face of my mistress Sarai.” (v. 8)

• the God Who counsels us

“And the angel of the Lord said unto her, Return to thy mistress, and submit thyself under her hands.” (v. 9)

• the God Who promises great things to us

“And the angel of the Lord said unto her, I will multiply thy seed exceedingly, that it shall not be numbered for multitude.” (v. 10)

• the God Who cares about us

“And the angel of the Lord said unto her, Behold, thou art with child and shalt bear a son, and shalt call his name Ishmael; because the Lord hath heard thy affliction.” (v. 11)

• the God Who sees us

“And she called the name of the Lord that spake unto her, Thou God seest me: for she said, Have I also here looked after him that seeth me?” (v. 13, emphasis added)

In her distress and desperation, God saw Hagar. And He showed His great love for her. 

The name that Hagar called God was El Roi: the God who sees me.

But why is that important to you and me?

We long to be seen, known, and loved for who we really are.

I used to think it was kind of a bad thing that I wanted to be seen, to be noticed, and to be admired.

A second glance from a cute guy. A word of praise from my supervisor.

Or even comments and likes on my latest post.

But, recently, I was reading the book Unseen by Sara Hagerty, and I realized that this longing actually isn’t a bad thing. 

There’s a reason I want to be seen. To be noticed. To be approved.

God made you and me that way.

But it’s a longing that only HE can satisfy fully.

God sees you.

Ready for a mindblowingly awesome truth?

Every moment of every day, God sees YOU.

He’s not watching to judge, to criticize, or to frown.

He loves you, and He’s watching over His beloved with delight!

God watches you sleep, wake, eat, walk, talk, and live your life. He doesn’t take a break to check His phone or watch the late night news. 

Instead, His attention is fixed on you. He’s actively working in your life and wants to talk to you and shower you with His love. 

In case you’re not sure this is actually Bible, here are a few verses to show you.

“The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, and his ears are open unto their cry.”

Psalm 34:15

“For the ways of man are before the eyes of the Lord, and he pondereth all his goings.”

Proverbs 5:21

“For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O Lord, thou knowest it altogether. Thou hast beset me behind and before, and laid thine hand upon me.”

Psalm 139:4-5

When you feel a longing in your heart, turn to God.

After reading Unseen, I’ve been learning to turn to God in the brief moments of my day.

If I catch myself looking for attention from others, I pause and ask God one simple question. 

“Do You see me?”

And the answer is always yes! He tells me that He loves me. He gives me grace and wisdom (which I truly need!) 

And, in these little slivers of time, He fills that empty place in my heart with His love.

Friend, I invite you to join me in this practice. 

When you feel a longing in your heart, talk to Him. Ask Him, “Do You see me?”

Trust me – you’ll never be the same.

Let’s Chat:

Do you know the God Who sees you? If you have never met Jesus, please read my story of faith. If you have questions, feel free to email me at whatdinnywore [at] gmail.com I’d love to share how you can know Him, too!