Hagar in the desert, expressing sorrow and hope beside a
clay water jar, symbolizing divine compassion and El Roi, the God who sees.
Hagar’s story is one of the most overlooked yet profoundly
comforting narratives in the Bible. She was an Egyptian servant in Abraham and
Sarah’s household, a woman with little power, little voice, and little control
over her own life.
When tensions rose in the home and Sarah mistreated her,
Hagar fled into the wilderness, carrying her pain, confusion, and loneliness
with her. It was in that desolate place, far from comfort and far from anyone
who cared, that God met her.
The Bible describes how the Angel of the Lord found Hagar
near a spring of water in the desert. He called her by name, something deeply
significant for a servant who was often treated as invisible. God acknowledged
her suffering, spoke to her about her future, and assured her that her life and her
child’s life had purpose.
In that moment, Hagar realized she was not abandoned. She
was not forgotten. She was not unseen. Overwhelmed by this divine encounter,
Hagar gave God a name no one had used before: El Roi, meaning “The God who sees
me.” She understood that even in the wilderness, a place of fear, rejection,
and uncertainty, God’s eyes were on her.
He saw her tears, her struggle, her journey, and her
destiny. Hagar returned with renewed strength, not because her circumstances
were perfect, but because she now knew she was seen by God. Her story reminds
us that God’s attention is not reserved for the powerful, the celebrated, or
the righteous.
He sees the marginalized, the mistreated, the forgotten, and
the weary. He sees the person crying in silence, the one carrying burdens no
one else notices, and the one walking through a personal wilderness. Like
Hagar, we may sometimes feel invisible to the world, but never to God.
Hagar’s story teaches us that no one is beyond God’s sight
or compassion. Even in our loneliest moments, God sees us, knows us by name,
and walks with us through every wilderness. When life makes you feel unseen,
remember El Roi, the God who sees, understands, and cares deeply for you.