Genesis 16:6-16: a reflection

6But Abram said to Sarai, “Behold, your maid is in your hand. Do to her whatever is good in your eyes.” Sarai dealt harshly with her, and she fled from her face. 7The LORD’s angel found her by a fountain of water in the wilderness, by the fountain on the way to Shur. 8He said, “Hagar, Sarai’s servant, where did you come from? Where are you going?” She said, “I am fleeing from the face of my mistress Sarai.” 9The LORD’s angel said to her, “Return to your mistress, and submit yourself under her hands.” 10The LORD’s angel said to her, “I will greatly multiply your offspring, that they will not be counted for multitude.” 11The LORD’s angel said to her, “Behold, you are with child, and will bear a son. You shall call his name Ishmael, because the LORD has heard your affliction. 12He will be like a wild donkey among men. His hand will be against every man, and every man’s hand against him. He will live opposed to all of his brothers.” 13She called the name of the LORD who spoke to her, “You are a God who sees,” for she said, “Have I even stayed alive after seeing him?” 14Therefore the well was called Beer Lahai Roi. Behold, it is between Kadesh and Bered. 15Hagar bore a son for Abram. Abram called the name of his son, whom Hagar bore, Ishmael. 16Abram was eighty-six years old when Hagar bore Ishmael to Abram.

When Hagar, a mistreated and overlooked servant, flees into the wilderness alone, God finds her there, speaks to her, and she names him the God who sees; for God saw her in her affliction. She called the name of the LORD who spoke to her, you are a God who sees, the account says. Hagar was a servant, mistreated by her mistress, with no standing, no power, no one to take her side; fleeing in distress, she was alone in the wilderness. Yet there, where no one else saw or cared, God found her, spoke to her, heard her affliction, and made her promises. Amazed that God had seen and met her, a lowly, overlooked woman, she named him the God who sees. This shows that God sees the lowly and overlooked, and hears their affliction. God sees you, even when overlooked, mistreated, or alone. God sees the lowly and hears their affliction. You are not unseen by God, however unnoticed by others. God is the God who sees the overlooked and alone.

Notice whom God sought out and how she responded. Hagar was among the most overlooked of people: a servant, of no standing, mistreated by her mistress, with no one to defend or care for her. Fleeing her mistreatment, she found herself alone in the wilderness, unseen and uncared for by any human eye. If anyone might be forgotten, overlooked, beneath notice, it was Hagar in that moment. Yet it was precisely there that God found her. He sought her out, spoke to her by name, heard her affliction, and made her promises about her future. And Hagar, amazed that God had seen and met her, a lowly, overlooked woman in the wilderness, gave him a name: you are a God who sees. This holds a deep comfort for those who feel overlooked, unnoticed, or alone. We can feel, like Hagar, that we are beneath notice, overlooked by others, mistreated, without standing, alone in our distress with no one who sees or cares. But God is the God who sees. He sees the lowly, the overlooked, the mistreated, the ones no one else notices; he sees us in our affliction, however unnoticed we are by others. We are never truly unseen; God sees us, knows our affliction, and can meet us even in the loneliest wilderness. This is a comfort to the overlooked and alone: that the God who sees has not overlooked you. We do well to take comfort that God sees us, even when overlooked, mistreated, or alone, as he saw and met Hagar. Take comfort that God sees you, even when overlooked, mistreated, or alone. God sees the lowly and hears the affliction no one else notices. You are never truly unseen; the God who sees has not overlooked you. God can meet you even in the loneliest wilderness.

That is worth resting in, for God sees the lowly and overlooked and hears their affliction, as he saw and met Hagar in the wilderness. We can feel overlooked, unseen, alone in our distress; but God sought out Hagar, the most overlooked, and she named him the God who sees. God sees you. When you feel overlooked, mistreated, or alone, remember that God is the God who sees; he sees you and your affliction, however unnoticed by others. Take comfort that God sees you, even when you are overlooked, mistreated, or alone, and hears the affliction no one else notices, as when Hagar, a mistreated and overlooked servant, fled into the wilderness alone, God found her there, spoke to her, and she named him the God who sees, since God saw her in her affliction; for Hagar was a servant, mistreated by her mistress, with no standing or power and no one to take her side, and fleeing in distress she was alone in the wilderness, yet there, where no one else saw or cared, God found her, spoke to her, heard her affliction, and made her promises, so that amazed that God had seen and met her, a lowly, overlooked woman, she named him the God who sees, which holds a deep comfort for those who feel overlooked, unnoticed, or alone, since we can feel like Hagar that we are beneath notice and overlooked by others and mistreated and alone in our distress with no one who sees or cares, but God is the God who sees, seeing the lowly, the overlooked, the mistreated, and the ones no one else notices, seeing us in our affliction however unnoticed we are by others, so that we are never truly unseen but God sees us and knows our affliction and can meet us even in the loneliest wilderness, a comfort that the God who sees has not overlooked us, so that we do well to take comfort that God sees us.

Lord, when Hagar, a mistreated and overlooked servant, flees into the wilderness alone, you find her there, speak to her, and she names you the God who sees; for you saw her in her affliction. She called the name of the LORD who spoke to her, you are a God who sees, the account says. Hagar was a servant, mistreated by her mistress, with no standing, no power, no one to take her side; fleeing in distress, she was alone in the wilderness. Yet there, where no one else saw or cared, you found her, spoke to her, heard her affliction, and made her promises. Amazed that you had seen and met her, a lowly, overlooked woman, she named you the God who sees. Show me whom you sought out and how she responded. Hagar was among the most overlooked of people: a servant, of no standing, mistreated, with no one to defend her. Fleeing her mistreatment, she found herself alone in the wilderness, unseen and uncared for by any human eye. If anyone might be forgotten, overlooked, beneath notice, it was Hagar in that moment. Yet it was precisely there that you found her. You sought her out, spoke to her by name, heard her affliction, and made her promises about her future. And she, amazed that you had seen and met her, gave you a name: you are a God who sees. This holds a deep comfort for me when I feel overlooked, unnoticed, or alone. I can feel, like Hagar, that I am beneath notice, overlooked by others, mistreated, without standing, alone in my distress with no one who sees or cares. But you are the God who sees. You see the lowly, the overlooked, the mistreated, the ones no one else notices; you see me in my affliction, however unnoticed I am by others. I am never truly unseen; you see me, know my affliction, and can meet me even in the loneliest wilderness. Take that to my heart. When I feel overlooked, mistreated, or alone, help me take comfort, Lord, that you are the God who sees, that you see me and my affliction however unnoticed by others, and that you can meet me even in the loneliest wilderness, for the God who sees has not overlooked me.