Hagar And the God That Sees
Hardships come in many forms and during all seasons of life. How we respond to those hardships is vital to our relationship with Jesus. But how do we respond well?
If we look at Scripture, Hagar’s story in Genesis gives us a great example. Hidden in the midst of Abraham and Sarah’s story is the story of Hagar; a woman pulled in and then cast out into the wilderness as the result of the broken, flawed, sinful people she was enslaved to.
In order to truly understand Hagar’s story, we must fully understand Abraham and Sarah’s story. What started as a promise God gave to Abraham years ago, turned to impatience. To recap Genesis 16 and Genesis 21:8-21, Sarah was desperate for the fulfillment of God’s promise—a child. So she took matters into her own hands and ordered Hagar, Sarah’s slave, to bear a child with Abraham; a common occurrence in those days. But, once Hagar was pregnant, Sarah became jealous and mistreated Hagar, resulting in her fleeing to the wilderness.
It’s there that Hagar encountered an angel of the Lord who promised her that she, too, would become a mother of a great nation. Then the angel told her to return and submit to Sarah. At this moment, Hagar became the only person in the Bible to name God El Roi, “the God who sees me.”
The story continued, and Hagar once again found herself in the wilderness, this time with her infant son. But she was again met by God.
Hagar’s story is not incidental but rather a story where we see God meet His people in the middle of their mess and hardship.
So, when we face hardship or find ourselves in the wilderness, we can cling to the truth that our God is El Roi—the God who sees us, the one who is in it all with us, leading and guiding. We can trust His plans and promises for us.
Our brothers and sisters in India are such a great example of this. As they face violent persecution for their faith—often being beaten, mocked, and expelled from their communities—they continue to trust God’s plan. They continue to share the hope of Jesus no matter the cost. To learn more about both biblical and modern-day persecution, join us for our 7-day devotional series starting on October 27. Through insights from U.S. church leaders, you’ll learn how to respond to hardship, as Hagar did. This series will also guide you in praying for India’s persecuted Christians on the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church. Click here to sign up.
Pray
– Pray that God would show Himself as El Roi to you.
– Pray that God would reveal Himself as El Roi to both believers and the unreached in India.
Take Action
– Join us in praying for India’s persecuted Christians on November 3—the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church. Click here to sign up for our corresponding 7-day devotional, including prayer points.
– Take some time to journal about the times God has revealed Himself as El Roi to you in the past. Stick a page of these reminders in your Bible to access in times when you need the reminder that He is the God who sees you.
