Bible Verse:

Genesis 16:13 She gave this name to the Lord who spoke to her: “You are the God who sees me,” for she said, “I have now seen the One who sees me.”

Back Story:

     It had been over 10 years since God promised Abram that he would be the father of many nations. Sarai was still childless and feeling desperate. During this time, a woman’s worth was often measured by having children, especially sons, to carry on the family name. Sarai convinced her husband Abram, that they should help God by having a child through one of their servants. The long wait for the promise had discouraged them and weakened their faith.

     When Hagar became pregnant, Sarai grew even more miserable. She might have felt that Hagar’s pregnancy meant the problem wasn’t with Abram but with her. Hagar quickly began to think and act as if she were superior to Sarai.

Sarai became upset with Abram, even though she was the one who came up with the plan. She blamed him for not being the spiritual head of the family and for not standing up to encourage them to wait on the Lord to fulfill His promise. Hagar’s attitude toward Sarai definitely made things worse. Abram told Sarai she could do with Hagar as she wished. Sarai tormented Hagar.

     Hagar felt her only answer was to run away, so that is what she did. Hagar found herself by a spring in the wilderness. That is where the “Angel of the Lord” appeared to her in physical form. We read further in the text that Hagar understood this was God. The Word says that no one has seen God (John 1:18). Therefore, we know this was an appearance of the Son before His incarnation in Bethlehem.

     The Angel of the Lord told Hagar to repent, to change direction, and to return. He implied a promise of protection for her and gave her a promise of great blessings for her child. Hagar’s son was the first one in the Bible to be given his name before he was born. 

How This Relates to Me:

     Get this: the very first time Jesus showed up (before He was born in Bethlehem!) was for Hagar. She was going through it – unwed, an expectant mom dealing with a whole mess of pride, depression, confusion, and misery. Sounds a bit like us sometimes? So why do we ever look in the mirror and think, “Nah, the Lord would never use me”? Here is an example of Him showing up for someone with many flaws.

     Our mistakes, hang-ups, and imperfections don’t block God’s view or stop His desire to bless us. He seriously loves us, flaws and all. He sees you right now. He’s ready to bless your life, but here’s the kicker: we’ve got to make sure we’re actually moving in His direction and following where He leads. Let’s do this!

Application:

   Take a moment today to thank Him for being the God who sees you—truly, sees you. Praise Him for his faithfulness to you, even when you haven’t been faithful to Him. Now make a conscious decision to be intentional with Him like He is intentional with us. Turn to Him. Open His Word. Discover the blessings He has in store for you. Let Him speak to you through His Word. Let Him love on you. Let Him prove Himself true to you today. Be blessed, my sister…