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.”

Do you ever feel invisible? 

Do you ever feel like you’re not important to the people in your life? Maybe they’re not as attentive as you hoped. Maybe you wish they’d pay a little less attention to you. Or maybe you’re abused, beaten, cursed at or neglected. The verse above mentions a woman giving a name to the Lord. Hagar was the name of the woman. She was Sarai’s maidservant. Now Sarai and Abram had been hoping for a child for a long time, but they hadn’t been able to have one. Sarai, taking things into her own hands decided that Hagar should sleep with Abram and give him the son she couldn’t. Did anyone ask Hagar?

Being chosen isn’t always good

Hagar was chosen by Sarai to sleep with her husband. She conceived, and then she didn’t like Sarai much anymore. I don’t know if it was jealousy that Sarai was beloved by Abram (the father of Hagar’s soon to be baby) or what, but she hated Sarai. So much so that it was obvious to Sarai. Sarai didn’t like Hagar either, and Sarai asked Abram to punish Hagar for her hatred. Abram said Sarai could do with her what she wanted. Sarai was so mean in her treatment of Hagar, that Hagar left. She had been chosen to carry Abram’s baby by Sarai, but she still didn’t hold much value. Beaten and mistreated, Hagar fled from them.

“You are the God who sees me”

There Hagar sits in the wilderness, pregnant and alone. She has to feel pretty worthless at this point. Her baby daddy didn’t stick up for her and his wife was intolerable. Now that she was gone, it was clear to her that no one cared. But there was someone…God. Separated from the life she once knew, she sat near a spring in the desert. The Angel of the Lord spoke to her, and asked her what she was doing there. She said she was running away. The Angel of the Lord told her to go back and have Abram’s baby. Hagar was astonished. She couldn’t believe that the Angel of the Lord had spoken to her, and that God was aware of her plight and cared about it. God promised to increase her descendants.

“You are the God who sees me”

Like Hagar in the wilderness, I think it’s often in the wilderness, when we are feeling most alone that we find God. He was there the whole time, but when we know we have no more control over our lives, then we are more open to the Lord and His path. When we’re going through those struggles, it’s easy to wonder where God is, but like Hagar, who had every right to be depressed about her situation, God sees us. He knows the path that is best for us. He knows our desires, hopes and dreams. He also knows the plans He has for us, and wants us to achieve. I have quite a few friends who are going through times in the wilderness. They’re struggling. They feel abandoned, hurt and confused. I pray they know like Hagar that they have a God who sees them. He sees and is ready to take action on your behalf.

Do you still feel invisible?