El Roi, The God who Sees

With my phone pocketed I stepped into what’s left of a forest at the back of my neighborhood. Sometimes I go there when I feel claustrophobic. Trees help me breathe, literally and figuratively I guess. I used to live in a forest, and miss it dearly. So this dwindling forest lot with impending construction will have to suffice. I popped my earbuds out of my ears and instantly noticed the choir of birds. So loud and with so much variety. I stood still separating all the sounds one by one. It felt like eavesdropping. Who else was hearing this but the Creator and me?

It was late spring and the forest was lush, full of vibrant green. I stooped down to see perfectly shaped orbs of dew on each blade of grass. The morning sun refracted tiny rainbows from each drop into my eyes, so small and fragile they would disappear in a blur when I blinked.

I crouched to examine the dew and try to capture it in my camera when I noticed the most delicate little wing. Small and clear, I picked it up between my pointer and thumb and laid it gently on my palm. Black veins branched through the wing highlighting the slightest iridescence. Dragon fly?  No. Then I remembered it was a Cicada year. How long had it waited to emerge and what struggle ensued for me to have found this lone wing? Only God knows.

As I stood in my micro forest with my back to the houses, I tried my best to take it all in. Inspecting every plant, examining the wet spider webs at the base of every sprouted shrub. Hearing every swoosh of a bird lighting on one tree then the next. Smelling the fresh scent of spring in an air thick with oxygen. I wanted to see the things God sees, and notice the things he knows. Jesus says the Father knows when a bird falls, and he dresses the lilies of the field. How much more important are we, he asks? Immeasurably!

Genesis 16 highlights how the Creator values the unknown. God had promised Abram and Sarai would be a great nation, He had promised a son. But in her impatience, Sarai, foolishly tried to force the fulfillment by giving her maidservant to Abram as a wife.  Hagar became pregnant and understandably had a hard time with Sarai. Abram refused to get in the middle, so he dismissed Hagar to the cruelty of jealous Sarai. The end of 16:6 says “Then Sarai dealt harshly with her, and she fled from her.”  Sin causes horrific consequences for everyone.

Pregnant and alone, Hagar is desperate, sitting by a spring of water in the wilderness, when she is “found” the scripture says, by the angel of the Lord. Many times, in the Old Testament, the “Angel of the Lord” is considered a theophany, or an appearance of pre-incarnate Jesus. He talks with her about her situation and encourages her to return home because she will have a son and that her offspring will multiply so that they “Cannot be numbered”.

It is Hagar’s response that is so important here though, a glimpse through the keyhole of how our Creator handles his creation. Read Genesis 16:13 “” So she called the name of the Lord who spoke to her, “You are a God of seeing,” (or you are the God who sees me) for she said, “Truly here I have seen him who looks after me.” Therefore the well was called Beer-lahai-roi; it lies between Kadesh and Bered. “

Genesis 16:13-14 ESV

The name Hagar used for God here is El Roi and can be translated “god of sight” or “god saw me” (https://en.m.wikipedia.org) Do you ever wonder if God sees you? Your situations, your frustration, or even someone else’s sin. It would have been so easy for Hagar to respond with did you see what she did to me? The betrayal, the jealousy, the lies and meanness? Did you see that God? But she didn’t point out any of the drama she had experienced because she knew the answer would be yes. That was why he was there, so she would know she was seen, in her brokenness, in her distress. He saw her and he sees you too.

He sees the triumphs too, you know. The small parenting win, the time you chose patience. He sees you choose your Bible over mindless doom scrolling. He sees both your broken heart and silent praise. I like to find myself forests searching for details that only God knows about, maybe so that I can let my heart remember that I am one of those details too. He is the God who sees me.

The Good Portion Journaling Questions:

Let’s search the scriptures for more evidence that our Creator is the God who sees:

In Genesis 21 he takes care of Hagar again.  Read this chapter and write down what God Saw and how he took care of her.

Read these Scripture passages that show us “EL ROI” the God who sees, write in your journal what you learn about God from these passages.

1 Kings 17:7-16 (Bonus 17: 17-24) Who did God see, what needs did he meet?

Psalm 139 List all of the things that God knows in this chapter. Take some time to praise him for his intimate knowledge of you.

Psalm 8. (Focus on verse 4) Pause to put yourself in your place, God is wholly other, you are the created. Worship El Roi for his unadulterated LOVE for his creation. Journal about what it feels like to be loved by the God who sees.

John 1:43-51 This is the calling of Nathaniel.  What Godly character trait did Jesus praise Nathaniel for the first time they met? If this was their first meeting, what do we learn about Jesus and his knowledge of our hearts? What was Nathaniel’s response? What is your response?

It is easy to go on a walk or see creation and want to worship God for his creation, as we should! However next time you are out, I challenge you to try to notice the things that only God knows about. Maybe you and El Ron are the only ones who see the flower growing in a construction zone on the roadside. What about real life though? Everyday application?

Have you noticed the specific strands of color God placed in the iris of your daughter? Maybe the way your husband works so hard for your family. Have you noticed the stress lines on your supervisor’s face. El Roi knows everyone’s story. We mere mortals must ask, be observant and genuinely care for one another.  You could be the one to let others know there is a God who sees. Are you taking time to notice what God sees in your life? Who has God called you to notice? How can you reach out to them and show them God sees them?