20th August 2025

God Sees You

Then she called the name of the Lord who spoke to her, You-Are-the-God-Who-Sees;

for she said, “Have I also here seen Him who sees me?”

Genesis 16:13

Today's Bible Reading: Genesis 16:7-16.

How encouraging it is to know that those who are marginalised by what others do to them or by what they do to themselves do not escape the attention of God. Genesis 16 emphasises this with two names—the name of a place, Beer Lahai Roi (“the well of the Living One who sees me,” v 14) and the name of a son, Ishmael (“God will hear” v 11). The words “the Lord has heard of your misery” (v 11) show the keen nature of divine hearing. In Psalm 34:15, the Bible says: "The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are attentive to their cry.”

Hagar, an Egyptian maidservant, understood what it meant to be seen by God. After she got pregnant by Abram, she began to despise Sarai (Genesis 16:4), who in turn mistreated her, causing Hagar to flee to the desert. Hagar found herself alone, facing a future that seemed bleak and hopeless for her and her unborn child.

But it was in the desert that “the angel of the Lord” (v 7) met her and said, “The Lord has heard of your misery” (v 11). The angel of God gave Hagar guidance on what to do, and He assured her of what the future would hold. From her, we learn one of the names of God—El Roi, “the God who sees me” (v13).

Prayer: Jehovah God, thank You for the assurance that I will never have to journey through life alone. I know that You see me, and that You will always be with me. In Jesus name, I pray. Amen.