Hagar, Sarai’s hand maid, had been given to Sarai’s husband, Abraham, to be his wife. She conceived a child. Hagar found herself running to the wilderness to escape the jealousy and harshness of Sarai, who was unable to conceive. Hagar was alone, feeling despised, mistreated and misunderstood, dealing with the ramifications of choices that were not her own.
The Angel of the Lord found Hagar and asked, “Hagar, where have you come from and where are you going? Behold, you are with child, you will bear a son, Ishmael, because the Lord hath heard thy affliction.” Hagar gave God the name we know as El Roi: “The God Who Sees Me.”
Fast forward to the New Testament. In Matthew, we find a woman who had spent all that she had trying to find a cure for a 12 year long affliction. She said, “If I can but touch the hem of his garment, I know He (Jesus) can heal me.” She pushed through the crowd and touched His robe. Immediately, He turned and saw her and said, “Woman, thy faith hath made thee whole.”
In John 4, we find Jesus at a well with a woman. She questioned why Jesus, who was Jewish, would ask for a drink from a Samaritan woman. Jesus proclaimed, “I can give you Living Water, and whosoever drinks of this water shall never thirst again. And the water I give shall be a well of water springing up into everlasting life.”
All three accounts are personal encounters with a God who saw people right where they were. Life sometimes leaves us wondering if we are all alone in our struggles. But, if we will stop, look and listen, we will realize we, too, can have a personal encounter with El Roi: “The God Who Sees Me.”
~ Cindy Danenhower
Christ Fellowship