The God Who Sees Me

“The Angel of the LORD found Hagar near a spring in the desert.” - Genesis 16:7

 

Genesis 16 introduces us to one of the most tender moments in Scripture,  the first appearance of “the Angel of the LORD.” Before this chapter, God walked with Adam, spoke to Cain, and guided Noah and Abraham, but never before does the Bible use this special title. And the remarkable thing is this, the very first person to encounter the Angel of the LORD is not a prophet, a king, or a spiritual hero, but Hagar, a slave, a foreigner, and a mistreated pregnant woman running into the desert to escape her pain. 

 

The One whom heaven adores comes down to meet a woman whom earth has rejected.

 

Hagar’s story is especially heartbreaking because the suffering she endured was not of her own making. She did not choose her circumstances; they were forced upon her. As an Egyptian slave, she had no voice, no rights, and no freedom. She was mistreated by the very people she served,  people who knew God, people who should have protected her. She was used, blamed, and pushed into a situation she never asked for. Pregnant, wounded, and alone, she runs into the desert not because she is rebellious, but because she is broken. She is a woman caught in the crossfire of other people’s choices. And it is in this place of deep injustice and loneliness that God Himself comes looking for her.

 

This encounter reveals something profound about the heart of God. It shows us that God seeks out the forgotten before He seeks out the famous. Before He appears to Abraham, Moses, Gideon, or Samson’s parents, He appears to Hagar. Everyone else saw her as insignificant, but God saw her as valuable. The world may overlook certain people, but God never does. He is drawn to the broken hearted, the abandoned, and the overlooked.

 

Psalm 34:18- “The Lord is near to the broken-hearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.”

 

Hagar’s response reveals another beautiful truth: God finds us when we feel invisible. After speaking with the Angel of the LORD, she says, “You are the God who sees me.” She becomes the only person in the entire Bible who gives God a name based on her own experience. Not Abraham, not Moses, not David, but Hagar, because she discovered that God shows up in the lonely places, the confusing places, and the painful places. When she thought no one cared, God cared. When she believed no one saw her tears, God saw every one of them.

 

The Angel of the LORD not only comforts her; He speaks as God Himself. He promises, “I will multiply your descendants,” and assures her of His favour. This is why many believe that this is a pre-incarnate appearance of Christ , Christ coming long before Bethlehem to comfort a rejected woman sitting by a spring in the desert. It is a picture of His heart even then: to seek and save the lost, to bind up the wounded, to lift up the forgotten.

 

Luke 19:10 — “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”

 

This story carries a powerful application for us. Like Hagar, we too walk through deserts. Sometimes life feels unfair. People disappoint us. Circumstances push us to the edge. We feel misunderstood, rejected, exhausted, or overwhelmed. And in those moments, it is easy to believe that no one sees what we are going through. But the God who found Hagar still finds His children today. He sees your struggles, your fears, your burdens, and even your silent battles. He comes into your wilderness, calls you by name, and speaks hope into your heart.

 

The first appearance of the Angel of the LORD was not to a king or prophet, but to a hurting single mother who felt alone. If God made time for Hagar, He will make time for you. If He saw her tears, He sees yours. If He pursued her into the desert, He will pursue you into yours. You are never unseen, never forgotten, and never alone.

 

The same Jesus who came to seek and save the lost is the same God who found Hagar at a desert spring and is the same Lord who finds you in your wilderness today.

 

Prayer

 

Lord, You are the God who sees me.

 

You see my struggles, my fears, and the hidden places in my heart that no one else knows. Just as You found Hagar in the desert, find me in my moments of weakness and loneliness. Speak hope into my heart, heal the wounds I carry, and remind me that I am never abandoned.

Give me the grace to trust Your presence even when life feels unfair or overwhelming. And help me extend the same compassion to others that You have shown to me. Thank You for being near to the broken-hearted and for lifting up the weary.

I rest in Your love today. In Jesus Name,

 

Amen.