“She gave this name to the LORD who spoke to her: ‘You are the God who sees me,’ for she said, ‘I have now seen the One who sees me.’ That is why the well was called Beer Lahai Roi; it is still there, between Kadesh and Bered.”

 

My little girl loves to play hide and seek. Now, at the age of 3, she is finally starting to catch on to the objectives of the game of actually hiding somewhere until one of us comes to find her. However, for so long, her idea of hiding was covering up her eyes right in front of you and declaring, “You can’t see me”, or “I can’t see you”. In her sweet, young mind, just because she was incapable of seeing us at the moment with hands covering her eyes, she could not comprehend that we could still see her standing right there in front of us. What a perfect picture this paints for us in our relationship to our Almighty God and Father.

Hagar, Sarah’s maidservant experienced this relationship first-hand. Sarah and Abraham had been promised by God that their descendents would outnumber the stars in the sky and, yet, they remained childless. Talk about a test of faith which they failed -miserably. They decided that they needed to “help God out” with their own plans. Sarah convinced Abraham to sleep with her maidservant, Hagar, to build the family line through her, as Hagar’s child would be considered “part of the family” in biblical times. Hagar conceived a child (who would eventually become Ishmael) and began to despise Sarah. Then Sarah, in turn, mistreated Hagar so she fled to the desert and found shelter near a spring. You probably thought your life was complicated! 

As Hagar was hiding in the desert, an angel of the Lord found her and told her to go back to Sarah and that her descendents would also be so numerous no one would be able to count them. Hagar, a poor maidservant and probably a pagan worshiper at some point in her life, met with an angel of LORD when she least expected it. God saw Hagar hiding in the desert, attempting to get away from all that she had left behind. In the verse above, Hagar recognizes that she is in the presence of the Almighty God of the Universe and names the place Beer Lahai Roi, meaning “well of the Living One who sees me.” Hagar was trying to hide behind her covered eyes, praying that she would just melt into oblivion and escape her circumstances. Can you just picture her with me now calling out to the world and especially Sarah, “You can’t see me!”? However, God knew better than Hagar what she needed at the time and that she needed someone to truly see her for who she was and what was happening to her life. 

Now, what about you, dear friend? Are you hiding in the bushes, covering your eyes, and hoping that no one sees you? Or better yet, are you covering your eyes and praying to God that someone will see you and notice you? Maybe you have experienced some sort of loss that has caused you to retreat from the world. Or maybe someone has hurt you so deeply that you do not want anyone to notice you again. Possibly you have been left out of life by people, and you are just hoping that someone will come into your life and notice the real you. Whatever your circumstance, please know that El Roi, the God Who Sees, sees you – behind the hands, behind closed eyes, and behind the masks we sometimes put on. 

Luke 12:6-7 indicates that “Are not fives sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. Indeed, the very hairs on your head are all numbered. Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.” If not one of the sparrows in this passage are forgotten and we are worth far more than the sparrows, then trust me that God will never forget us. God will always be able to see you no matter where you go or what you do. Precious one, God sees you where you are and loves you more than anything else on this earth. After all, He created you! Reach out to El Roi today and ask Him to reveal Himself to you. 

 

Pray with me: Oh, my El Roi, the God Who Sees Me! How very precious this Name is to me each and every day. I know that there is no where that I can flee from Your roving eye, and no where that I can travel that You are not there also. God, please show Yourself to us again today so that we can see You and Your hand in our lives. We are so amazed at how much You love us and pursue us to build that relationship with us. You have given us words that we are more precious than lilies of the field and the sparrows of the air, and You take care of their every little need. May we be as dependent on You as the sparrows and the lilies for Your care. We love You so very much, Lord, and pray all of this in the Name above all Names, Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior!