She gave this name to the Lord who spoke to her: “You are the God who sees me.” (Gen. 16:13)
Have you ever played peek-a-boo with an infant? You can stand right in front of them, cover your face with your hands, and they will act as if you have disappeared. And then you move your hands, make eye contact, and smile, and the baby’s face lights up with joy.
Hagar was desperate. She was hiding in the desert. She was pregnant. She may have anticipated both her and her unborn child dying in that unforgiving landscape. Then the Lord showed up and told her that her descendants would be so numerous that they would “be too numerous to count.” That is a promise of salvation, not only from her current misery, but of ongoing blessing. Hagar responded by calling the Lord “the God who sees me.” She found comfort, not only in the promise, but in the reality behind the promise: God saw her and cared enough to act.
I do not know what difficulty you may be facing. What I do know is that God sees you. And he hasn’t been hiding his face, playing peek-a-boo. He has been watching you the whole time, waiting for your eyes to meet his. When you lift your eyes to his and recognize that he sees you, there is a joy and comfort and love in that moment that brings a peace that surpasses understanding.
Lift your eyes to God, and be ready to make eye contact.
Aaron Wilkinson is a member of College Wesleyan Church in Marion, Indiana, and works at Wesley Seminary. His favorite word is eucatastrophe.
© 2021 Wesleyan Publishing House. Reprinted from Light from the Word. Used by permission. Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®.
