“El Roi, The God Who Sees Me”

Friday, January 7, 2022

Greetings, Dear Friends ~

Welcome to a brand new year!  I hope your year is off to a great beginning, and you are embracing all the Lord has for you this year!  May He be with you every step of your journey!

 I want to begin today’s Selah blog with a question, specifically:  Have you ever felt that you were invisible or overlooked?  If so, you are not alone.  Here is just one story, the account of Hagar, as recorded in Genesis 16:7-14 (NIV):

“The angel of the LORD found Hagar near a spring in the desert; it was the spring that is beside the road to Shur.  And he said, ‘Hagar, slave of Sarai, where have you come from, and where are you going?’ ‘I’m running away from my mistress Sarai,’ she answered.  Then the angel of the LORD told her, ‘Go back to your mistress and submit to her.’ The angel added, ‘I will increase your descendants so much that they will be too numerous to count.’  The angel of the LORD also said to her: ‘You are now pregnant and you will give birth to a son. You shall name him Ishmael, for the LORD has heard of your misery. He will be a wild donkey of a man; his hand will be against everyone and everyone’s hand against him, and he will live in hostility toward all his brothers.’  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.’ That is why the well was called Beer Lahai Roi . . . .”

Preceding and within this particular story are many very human issues—Abram and Sarai’s (note, they were not yet called Abraham and Sarah) poor decision of taking matters into their own hands, which led to Hagar conceiving Ishmael; Hagar’s treatment of Sarai; then Sarai’s abuse of Hagar; and Hagar’s choice to run away from home just to name a few!  As a slave or servant of Sarai, Hagar’s choices were limited.  Drawn into the saga of Sarai and Abram, and their inability to bear a child together, Hagar unfairly became caught up in their personal drama—because they failed to wait on God.  Once Hagar conceived, she used her position of bearer of Abram’s child, as a weapon to antagonize her mistress, Sarai.  An abundance of drama!

Isn’t it interesting, though, to see how the Lord responds to the complex situation despite the frailties of Sarai, Abram, and Hagar?  God does not condemn nor punish them for their unwise choices.  They have made a huge mess of things (as we all have done and will do!)!  Finding Hagar in her runaway state, the angel of the Lord has two questions for Hagar, and then tells her what will take place:

The questions:           “. . . where have you come from, and where are you going?”

The instructions:       “Go back to your mistress and submit to her.”

“I will increase your descendants so much that they will be too numerous to count.”

“You are now pregnant and you will give birth to a son. You shall name him Ishmael, for the LORD has heard of your misery.”

What we see in action are the mercy and providence of God!  The Lord looked beyond their faults and ministered to them according to their needs!  What an amazing God we serve!  El Roi, the God Who sees me!  Note the following:

“‘Ro’ iy in the original Hebrew can be translated as shepherd, or as seeing, looking, or gazing. In other words, when we feel most invisible and forgotten by everyone else, we can remember that God does see us. He witnesses our struggles and comes alongside us” (Source: www.BibleStudyTools.com)

When the angel of the Lord met Hagar, he did so because God saw Hagar.  Just as He saw Hagar, know that the Lord also sees you—in every situation you are in, and in every moment and instant of your life. From birth to death and everything in between, God does indeed see you.  Others might forget us; God never will.  Our Shepherd, God is El Roi! 

This year, as you embark on another journey, please do so with this truth in mind.  God sees what others cannot.  God sees you, loves you, has plans for you, and hopes for you.  The Lord has a vision and a promise for your life.  May we each walk in this knowledge and understanding.  May we see spiritually and supernaturally the only true and living God, Who sees us.  Never forgotten. Never forsaken. Always visible.  Always seen.  Always loved.

As you go . . . please remember that this world is definitely a much better place because you are in it. 

Until next time, My Friend,  

Selah  

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