You are the God who sees me. (Gen. 16:13)
I WORK IN THE DOWNTOWN AREA of Denver, Colorado. Many homeless people congregate at street corners and under bridges. They hold their cardboard signs and ask for pocket change. One morning, as I sat at a stoplight, I handed a few bills to a man with a scruffy beard and an injured leg. After the exchange, I started to roll up my window when he said, “It’s a beautiful day. My leg’s been bothering me.” I paused. I made eye contact. In the few moments, before the stoplight turned green, I listened to his troubles. I heard his story. I saw him.
Hagar had been dealt a bitter blow. Tossed from her home, she wandered the desert with her son. They were alone—banished from any comfort Abram had provided. But God saw. He heard her cry, guided her safely, and renewed her hope. The God who saw Hagar sees homelessness, poverty, financial troubles, illness, and heartache.
When our circumstances overwhelm us, God hears our cries. He knows our condition. He cares. The challenge for our lives is how we will respond to God’s care of us. When God supplies our need, how will we bless another person? When God has comforted us, who will we comfort? Sarai offered no comfort to Hagar. Abram cast her from his provision. But God saw. He calls us to emulate His actions. Who will we see today?
Ask God for eyes to see and ears to hear.
Kathleen E. Dunlap lives in Denver, Colorado, with her husband and their dog, a Great Dane mix. She enjoys reading, crocheting, running, and journaling.
