El Roi - The God Who Sees Me
DID YOU KNOW that there is ONLY ONE person in the Bible who gave God a name? And that person was Hagar; a maidservant. The name she gave Him was El Roi and it means ‘The God Who Sees Me.’
Shortly after my husband walked away from my marriage, there was a women’s Bible study that I joined and it was about Hagar. I HIGHLY recommend this study. It is called Hagar Rediscovering The God Who Sees Me by Shadia Hrichi.
Before participating in this study, I knew very little about Hagar. Her story begins in Genesis 16 and concludes in Genesis 25:12 which ends by telling of the lineage and death of her son Ishmael. So many times reading this story, I focused on the lives of Abraham and Sarah and barely gave Hagar a thought. But when I learned that she was the ONLY person to give a name to God, I knew then, that she was very special to God and wanted to learn why. The study I mentioned earlier goes into depth about her.
I believe when we read different stories in the bible at different times in our lives, we glean different ‘aha’ moments and takeaways. Such was the case with Hagar. I was at my lowest when I began this study. And WOW! It was just what God knew I needed. His timing is perfect. In Genesis, we learn about how Abraham and Sarah acquire Hagar, which is a God planned moment. And as we read through the chapters, we see how hurt and desperate Hagar became. She felt so unworthy and hurt that she chose to flee Abraham and Sarah, and instead, go take her chances in the desert wilderness! She had to have been so despondent. And while in the desert, God SEES her and comes to her.
So many times in those beginning months of my separation from my husband I cried out to God for Him to see me. This study showed me He was there beside me holding me up with each and every little step I took on this new journey. He SAW me. He KNEW my pain. He HELD me. He PROVIDED for me.
Hagar will always be special to me because God knew I needed to read about her story and that study to get me through a very dark time in my life. And God shows in Genesis how He gave her a nation through her son Ishmael. God took care of her to the very end of her life!
God sees YOU! God knows YOU by name! Do not ever feel alone. I also go into more depth about Hagar in Still Standing While on My Knees.
