“So she called on the name of the Lord who spoke to her, “You are a God of seeing”, for she said, “Truly here I have seen Him who looks after me”

Genesis 16:13

Dear Believer, 

Have you ever felt so lonely and desperate that you felt like you were in a desert? Dried up, having nothing to offer, with no purpose or direction in view? Many of us have felt that way at some point or another. We have seasons in our life that make us wonder, “How can this be?” 

Many times, this is when God meets us. In our moments of deepest need and hurt. 

The story of Hagar portrays a woman in a desert, literally and figuratively, during two difficult times in her life. 

We first meet Hagar, after Sarah, who is barren, gives her to her husband Abraham, as a surrogate. She conceives a child by Abraham, but treats Sarah “with contempt”. At this, Sarah treats her harshly, and Hagar flees into the wilderness.

She is pregnant, scared, with no direction, and alone. This is the opening scene of her beautiful experience with the love and care of God (1 John 4:10). Let’s look at the story from Genesis 16:

“The Angel of the Lord found her…”(v. 7)

She did not seek God. It was God who sought her out. 

“And He said, ‘Hagar servant of Sarai, where have you come from and where are you going?’”(v. 8)

The Almighty God of the universe, not only found her, but He called her by her name and her identity. He knew Hagar, who she was, where she came from, and what her future would be. Yet He wanted to give her the opportunity to speak with Him, give Him her burdens, and have a connection with Him in a personal way. 

“The Angel of the Lord said to her, ‘Return to your mistress and submit to her.”(v. 9)

God knew of her sin toward Sarai. She showed “contempt” towards her mistress. The Hebrew meaning of this word here is “curse”. She had also shown arrogance, disrespect, and defiance(Col.3:22). God tells her to RETURN, or repent, and turn from her past sin and “sin no more”(John 8:11).

“I will surely multiply your offspring so that they cannot be numbered for multitude….because the Lord has listened to your affliction.”(v. 10)

God continues to fortify Hagar in her time of need by giving her a glimpse of how He would continue to help her in the distant future. So often when we are in distress, we cannot see past our current situation. But our God is One of hope and a future. He reassures Hagar, that not only will she give birth to a son, named Ishmael, but she will be a mother of a multitude of descendants. 

“So she called the name of the Lord who spoke to her, ‘You are a God of seeing’ for she said, ‘Truly here I have seen Him who looks after me”. (v. 13)

Isn’t that amazing! God reveals himself to even those of us who feel small and insignificant. He knows all about us and He loves us still. He SEES us and looks after us. What a comfort to know that when we are in our dry seasons, we have a God who loves us with an everlasting love and reveals Himself to us in a personal way. 

“Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine.” Isaiah 43:1

“Why, even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not; you are more valuable than many sparrows.” Luke 12:7

“Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.” Psalm 139:16

Dearest Believer, take courage in El Roi, the God-Who-Sees. Just as He saw and helped Hagar in her time of need, He sees you and will be the God who looks after you. 

The Lord be with you, 

Bianca