The angel of the Lord found Hagar near a spring in the desert… “Hagar, servant of Sarai, where have you come from, and where are you going?” … “You shall name him Ishmael, for the Lord has heard of your misery.” 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.” (Genesis 16:7-13)
Hagar was an Egyptian slave, which means she had little to no rights or cultural standing. Her master and mistress were blessed and had much, so she probably lived comparably well for someone in her station. Then her whole world flipped when she was co-opted into an ill-advised scheme by Sarai. She became the second wife of Abram and the surrogate mother of the child of promise. Relationships soured, and abuse was allowed to fester as Abram turned a blind eye.
She fled and encountered the Lord in the desert. He opened by stating her whole identity up to that point. She was then told she would bear a son. God Himself named the boy Ishmael, which means “God hears,” and promised that his descendants would be too numerous to count. Most importantly, the Lord had seen her misery and heard her cries. That was enough for Hagar to walk away worshiping, even though she was told to return and submit, and her son would become a hostile man. She had hope tailor-made for her! The difficulties of the future were manageable now.
This biblical account made me think of my dad, who struggled with the despair of my accident. At 18 months of age, I was comatose for months while the doctors actively discouraged hope for any recovery. The Lord showed him one specific tree in an office park plaza. This tree was noticeably big and beautiful, but the branches were gnarled, twisted, and shooting out in non-standard directions, messy and untamed, yet strikingly beautiful. “Your son will be like this tree,” God impressed on him. That picture didn’t fix the situation or promise an easy recovery, but it brought genuine encouragement right in the middle of the pain. Put simply, it was hope. God knew a way to give my dad hope because He still is El Roi.
Oftentimes, we are dismayed and shut down by a difficult future. I think Hagar’s name for God is key. God sees us, and he knows how to feed our souls. He can give us the exact perspective we need to have an abundance of hope. He is an exceedingly good God; he is Jehovah El Roi!
Jonathan Duncan
EFCC Member