Genesis 16: 7-16. Ten years after Abram was given the promise that he would have a son; he and Sarai were still childless. Sarai offered Hagar or Egyptian servant to Abram, so that she could have the son that Sarai was not able to have. When Hagar became pregnant she lorded over it Sarai. When Sarai complained to Abraham, he told her to do with Hagar as she pleased. Sarai mistreated Hagar and Hagar ran away. When Hagar was near a spring in the desert the angel of the Lord appeared to her and told her what her son would be like. In this experience she called the Lord by a new name- "You are the 'God who Sees me.' " In the Bible there are a number of times that God was given a new name because of the experiences that they had with God. For example, the Lord our banner, the Lord, our righteousness, the Lord who heals, etc. The various names for God, all came in times of struggle when people were at the end of themselves. They learned that God could meet them even in those situations. They learned a dimension of God's care that they could not have known had they not gone through those situations. I am sure that Hagar thought she was doing all the right things, but now she finds herself beside a well in the desert all alone and pregnant - and no one cares. Then the Angel of the Lord, God speaks to her and sees her in all her mess. Awesome! You know, he is still a God that sees you in whatever mess that you are encountering. He sees, and He cares, and He has a plan for your life. In whatever you have to go through, if you will allow it, you will get to know God in a way you could not possibly have known Him had you not gone through that difficult time.

The God Who Sees