The God Who Sees Me

“And she called the name of the LORD that spake unto her, Thou God seest me.” (Genesis 16:1

         Hagar had run away from home, carrying her master’s son within her womb. That had been Sarai’s idea in the first place. Abraham would impregnate Hagar, her handmaid, and she, Sarai, could claim the child as her own. But when that happened, Hagar “despised” Sarai, and Sarai made life unbearable for Hagar. It was a seemingly impossible situation, and the phlegmatic Abraham refused to take a stand one way or the other. So, Hagar ran (v. 6). But Someone saw her run.

         Finally, when she could go no farther, exhausted and thirsty, verse seven says, “And the angel of the Lord found her by a fountain of water.” And his first words to her were, “Hagar, Sarai’s maid” (v. 8). You see, she could run away from where she was but not who she was. Until or unless God changed her status, that’s who she would always be. But the angel also told her that the descendants of her son could always claim Abraham as their forefather. Hagar’s response to all this was to acknowledge that Abraham’s God saw her, as insignificant and hopeless as she seemed, and He saw her situation. With this assurance, she went back to face whatever would be her fate. Justice was served, but mercy was extended.

         Proverbs 15:3 says, “The eyes of the LORD are in every place, beholding the evil and the good.” He sees both evil and good. But it’s easy to forget one or the other. For instance, the presumptuous sinner may falsely console himself or herself with the idea that all the overt sins being committed around him or her has hidden their own covert one(s). This is delusional. The last Person we should ever want to offend or alienate sees it all.

But on the other hand, there are those who live for God and serve Him faithfully, under circumstances unknown or appreciated by those around them; and to these people God has given the same assurance that He sees them, as well. Every witness given, every kindness shown, and every sacrifice offered is noted and recorded. As the old spiritual says, “He sees all you do, and He hears all you say; my Lord’s a’writin’ all the time.” God not only sees secret sins, He sees secret sacrifices.

He’s the God who sees us. The question is, “What does He see?”