El Roi

Read: Genesis 16:7-13

[Hagar] called the name of the LORD who spoke to her, You-Are-the-God-Who-Sees; for she said, "Have I also here seen Him who sees me?" --- Genesis 16:13

The Bible In One Year:
Numbers 28-30
Mark 8:22-38

Many locator devices are on the market today that promise to help us keep track of elderly parents, children, wallets, pets, parolees, even potential kidnapping victims.

As useful as these gadgets are, they would have done Hagar no good. No one seemed to care enough about Hagar and her unborn child to monitor their well-being in the desert. No one but El Roi --- Herbrew for "You-Are-the-God-Who-Sees" [Gen. 16:13].

Hagar served Sarai, Abram's wife. Sarai felt like a weak link in the chain of God's promise to bless Abram with many descendants. She was barren, so she told Abram to sleep with her maid-servant and build a family through her. This ill-advised suggestion --- born amid intense cultural pressures to provide an heir --- led to nothing but trouble. When Hagar became pregnant, she despised Sarai for her inability to have children. Then Sarai treated Hagar so badly that she ran away. There in the desert, feeling the misery of her past and the uncertainty of her future, Hagar met God, who saw her and took care of her.

El Roi sees your past misery, your present pain, your uncertain future. He is so watchful that He knows when the smallest sparrow perishes [Matt. 10:29-31]. And He is the God who sees and cares for you today. --- Marvin Williams

If God sees the sparrow's fall,
Paints the lilies short and tall,
Gives the skies their azure hue,
Will He not then care for you? --- Anon.

KEEP YOUR EYES ON THE LORD; HE NEVER TAKES HIS YES OFF YOU.