When Hagar Met The God Who Sees!
Saturday Morning Devotional
In the Book of Genesis, we read the story of Hagar meeting the God Who Sees! As we continue reading, you can see that there is a common theme – The Lord sees us, and He can open our eyes to see what He wants us to see!
Hagar’s Story
In Genesis chapter 16, we read the story of the Egyptian maidservant, Hagar. Biblical times were quite different than what we are used to today. At the time, Abram’s wife Sarai was barren and had not had children. Instead of seeking God, she took matters into her own hands. She gave her Egyptian servant, Hagar to her husband, hoping she would have a baby for her. Even though this was a common practice at the time, it was not God’s plan.
As you can imagine, things got a little rough between Sarai and Hagar, In fact, Hagar was so distraught because of the difficult situations that followed, she ran away from her mistress, Sarai and from Abram.
The God Who Sees
The Bible says that the Angel of the Lord found her by a spring in the wilderness. He knew where she was, and He showed up to encourage her and get her back home.
At that time, the Lord heard her cry and appeared to her to encourage her. She called Him, “The God Who Sees.” Not only did He see her and her difficult circumstances, He comforted her and told her that she would give birth to a son, and He would make him into a great nation.
“So she named the Lord Who spoke to her, ‘You are El-Roi,’ for she said, ‘In this place, have I actually seen the One Who Sees Me?'” Genesis 16:13
The God Who Sees Met Her a Second Time
A few chapters later, in Genesis chapter 21, there was still a lot of conflict in this bad situation between the two women. This time Hagar and her son Ishmael were sent away. They were alone in the wilderness and under great distress. She truly felt they were at the end of their lives. But God again heard her cry of distress and encouraged her and the child.
”…God heard the boy crying, and the Angel of God called to Hagar from Heaven and said the her, ‘What’s wrong, Hagar? Don’t be afraid, for God has heard the boy crying from the place where he is. Get up, help the boy up, and grasp his hand, for I will make him a great nation.'” Genesis 21:17-18
There was God’s promise again!
God’s Faithfulness and Provision
Hagar’s affliction was real though. She was completely out of resources and had a real need. In the right time, the Lord opened her eyes to see His blessings – a spring of water that she had not been able to see earlier! She was encouraged, filled their waterskins, and settled in the land of Egypt.
Hagar saw again that He was the God Who Sees. He was also the God Who opened Hagar’s eyes to see His provision.
He is The God Who Sees Us Too
Let us learn from Hagar’s life – God’s mercy and grace are sufficient!
Wherever you are in life, in the blessings or in the hard times, know that the Lord hears your prayers, and He sees you! He will guide you, uplift you, protect you, and encourage you.
Many times we are so caught up in our circumstances that just like Hagar, we cannot see a way out of them. Pray for the Lord to open your eyes to His solutions and let Him guide you!
He will truly be with you in the good times as well as the bad ones, because He is the God Who sees!
You can find more information throughout the Bible:
- The Names of God
- The Story of Abram/Abraham
- Sarah’s Story
- Ishmael’s Story
- The Story of Isaac
- More About Hagar
Related Posts
If We Could Only See It From God’s Perspective
The God Who Sees – Song by Kathie Lee Gifford
Until next time…
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“When I am filled with cares, Your comfort brings me joy.” Psalms 94:19
Love this. Always a good reminder that we are seen.
Amen!