Have you ever felt unnoticed? Overlooked? Misunderstood?
Maybe you’ve been working really hard at something & you feel like no one’s noticed or appreciated that hard work. Maybe you feel like the way someone is interpreting what you’ve said or done in a way that’s keeping them from seeing who you truly are. Maybe you feel lost in a sea of everyone else’s needs & like no one is paying attention to you or what you need. All these things can cause us to feel unnoticed, misunderstood… unseen.
One of the names of God is “El Roi” - The God who sees me.
He’s given this name in Genesis 16 by Hagar, Abram & Sarai’s slave that they’ve totally abused & mistreated in their quest to make God’s promises come true on their own timeline.
She runs off to the desert to try to escape her situation. No one seems to care that she’s run off. Which is not surprising, as no one seemed to care much about her wellbeing when she was around.
There she is hiding in the desert when someone comes looking for her. The Angel of the Lord. The Angel of the Lord is a way that God becomes visible to humans before taking on a human body in Jesus. The first time this character makes an appearance is right here - to Hagar.
The one who no one seemed to notice or care for is personally sought out by God himself & she gives him this name “The God who sees me”.
Where is God in your unseen moments? What does he see about you there? Have you ever asked?
Hagar did nothing to earn or deserve God’s attention, he came to her because that’s who he is - gracious, compassionate, slow to anger & abounding in steadfast love. We spend so much energy trying to get people to see us, like us, give us their stamp of approval. So much energy trying to get people to understand where we’re coming from or validate our feelings & opinions.
You have a God who sees you. Before you’ve done anything to earn it. Before a word is on your tongue he knows it completely. He never misunderstands you. Never misses you or forgets to notice you. He’s seen you even when you were hidden in your mother’s womb. You are his.
Where do you feel unseen or unnoticed? Ask God what he sees about you in those places.
