Gospel Reflections #851: "God who sees me"

Genesis 16:13 "Then Hagar called the name of the Lord who spoke to her, 'You are the God Who Sees Me,' for she said, 'Have I not even here looked after the one who sees me?'"

Sarai, Abram's wife, could not fully believe God's promise. Since she was past childbearing age, she gave her slave Hagar to her husband.

Hagar became pregnant with Abram's child and began to despise Sarai, so Sarai mistreated her.

When Hagar fled from Sarai, the angel of the Lord called to her, saying, "Return to your mistress and submit to her authority." 

"I will greatly multiply your descendants; they will be too numerous to count." "You are pregnant and will give birth to a son. 

Name him Ishmael, for the Lord has heard your affliction."

Hagar believed the words of the angel of the Lord.

Though Hagar was treated like a surrogate by Sarai, and seemed to be tormented and manipulated whenever Sarai's situation worsened, Hagar surely felt comfort and compassion in the words "The Lord has heard your affliction," and chose to return to Sarai.

Though she saw an unpleasant, painful situation, Hagar believed the words of the angel of the Lord and made her choice.

This does not mean Hagar was free from suffering or hardship.

"El Roi" means "God who sees me" in Hebrew.

Hagar was able to look beyond her difficult circumstances to the God who sees her, and she expressed joy and praise.

We are God's witnesses on this earth.

In every situation of this world, we desire to boldly praise God and express our joy.

When we realize that God is always watching over us, we will be filled with such amazement and gratitude that we will leap for joy.

AUTHOR'S BIO: This Gospel Reflections page is written by Masae San, who resides in Hiroshima, Japan. Masae is a dedicated student of the Bible with a deep passion for the Gospel of Jesus Christ. She shares her daily reflections on Gospel perspectives to reach out to others and spread the message of God's true love through a Christ-centered approach. We are sharing her insights here so that you, too, can experience the joy that comes from knowing and understanding the true Gospel and the love of God through Jesus Christ.