So she named YHWH who spoke to her: The God Who Sees, for she said, "Have I really seen here the One who sees me?" – Genesis 16:13
Hagar (the slave who was mother to Ishmael), after she had run away from Abram's camp, received a word of encouragement from God. Her response to this encouragement indicated a basic understanding of God's character, which is significant due to her role as the ancestor of a "people" who remain largely unreached today. Hagar named YHWH who spoke to her "The God Who Sees." She apparently believed that God had seen her plight and understood it. Was she discouraged and downhearted? Yes, but the fact that there was a God who understood her condition made a huge difference in her life.
This story makes me wonder, "Do we see the 'Hagars' of this world?" This planet is full of people and "peoples" without hope and without access to the Good News of Jesus Christ. Can a church or Christian that chooses to remain blind to the "Hagars" of this world, those who have been despised and neglected, honestly claim a relationship with "The God Who Sees?"
If we have Christ (and He has us) then we should see with His eyes, feel with His compassion, and then act on what we have both seen and felt.
Can I see another's woe, and not be in sorrow too? Can I see another's grief, and not seek for kind relief? – William Blake
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