Seen.

*Inspired by Genesis 16:13-14

When I was a young kid, I used to play a game where I would put on an ugly pair of purple sunglasses and, if I had the sunglasses on, I thought I was invisible. I could do anything I wanted and I was convinced that, if I had the purple sunglasses on, no one could see me. I grew out of this game, as I figured out quite quickly that the game was not reality. Looking back at this game, I do laugh. It truly is a silly game that I played to try and get away with doing things I wasn’t allowed to do. However, growing older has taught me that it does not take a pair of purple sunglasses to feel like you are invisible in this world.

We live in a world full of billions of people with many stories and backgrounds. As we pass through this life, we are constantly encountering different situations. I have experienced moments of pure joy and happiness, and in these moments I find it so easy to praise our good God. However, what about the moments where I am lost, confused, heartbroken, and hurting? What about the moments of extreme grief, where I have felt like everything is falling apart? What about the moments where I have had no idea where God even is, because I don’t feel like He’s here? Does He even see me?

I love the story of Hagar in Genesis 16. Sarai hadn’t been able to conceive any children, so she advised Abram to take her servant, Hagar, as his wife to conceive a child. As the events afterwards unfold, Hagar ends up fleeing from Sarai.

The Lord’s response to Hagar is so beautiful. When Hagar flees from Sarai, the Lord God PURSUED her by sending His angel (Genesis 16:7), He LISTENS to her (Genesis 16:11), and He ACKNOWLEDGES that she is SEEN (Genesis 16:10).

Genesis 16:13: So she called the name of the Lord who spoke to her, “You are a God of seeing,” for she said, “Truly here I have seen Him who looks after me.”

Hagar feels completely unseen by all after she is mistreated and taken advantage of by Sarai, and she flees. In fact, her name literally means “flight”. She physically runs away. I cannot say that I physically run away from all of my hurts, but I think that this same concept manifests in many different aspects of my life. How often do I feel like I am falling apart inside, yet I put on a smile and I go about my daily life like nothing is wrong? How often do I filter my answers to genuine people asking me how I am doing? How often do I shove all of my emotions down into a box and seal it off, only to have them spill over at a later time? Regardless, the result is so often an element of loneliness, feeling unseen, and feeling like no one knows who I truly am or what I am going through on a personal level.

I could talk for hours about how important it is to confide in other people in this life. Talking with other people and allowing other people to pour into me, love me, and encourage me, has helped me in the process of healing from things that I never thought were possible. God uses other people within our lives for this specific reason, and I 100% encourage you to lean into others in difficult times. However, I also know there are times when this seems impossible to do.

*When the thought of someone asking you how you are doing makes you feel like you’ll break down completely.

*When you can’t get a word out before the tears come.

*When you can’t even find the words to describe how you are feeling.

*When you are hurting so badly and feel like no one could possibly understand what you are going through.

*When you are scared to admit that you are doubting.

*And many more.

Again, there is so much value in being fully known to others and I do not want to discount that. However, I do know we have a God who is so much bigger. We have a God who sees us, knows us, and loves us beyond measure. Proverbs 15:3 references how God’s eyes are in every single place. Proverbs 5:21 references how His eyes are on the pathway of every single person who walks this earth. Psalm 139:16 references how His eyes have been on us from the moment of conception, and there is not a moment in our lives that is unknown to Him. We have a BIG God who cares for us, has mercy and compassion on us, and loves us beyond measure. What a blessing it is that the Lord of lords, the King of kings, the ruler of all and creator of all has His eyes on ME. I am SEEN.

What a beautiful truth we can see, rooted in Hagar’s story in Genesis 16.

Friends, let us run to the Beer-lahai-roi, “the well of the Living One seeing me.” There is absolutely no one who is better equipped to care for and love us in times of trial than our good Father, the “God of seeing”.

***

Scripture References:

Genesis 16:7-14

"The angel of the Lord found her by a spring of water in the wilderness, the spring on the way to Shur. And He said, “Hagar, servant of Sarai, where have you come from and where are you going?” She said, “I am fleeing from my mistress Sarai.” The angel of the Lord said to her, “Return to your mistress and submit to her.” The angel of the Lord also said to her, “I will surely multiply your offspring so that they cannot be numbered for multitude.” And the angel of the Lord said to her, “Behold, you are pregnant and shall bear a son. You shall call His name Ishmael, because the Lord has listened to your affliction. He shall be a wild donkey of a man, his hand against everyone and everyone’s hand against him, and he shall dwell over against all his kinsman.” So she called the name of the Lord who spoke to her, “You are a God of seeing,” for she said, “Truly here I have seen him who looks after me.” Therefore the well was called Beer-lahai-roi; it lies between Kadesh and Bered."

Proverbs 15:3

"The eyes of the Lord are in every place, watching the evil and the good."

Proverbs 5:21

"For the ways of everyone are before the eyes of the Lord, and He observes all His paths."

Psalm 139:16

"Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be."