Faith in the God Who Sees Me (El Roi)

January 30, 2025 by M. Stephanie Zeller

“And she called the name of the Lord that spoke to her, ‘You are El Roi,’ for she said, ‘Have I also here looked after Him who sees me’?” (Genesis 16:13, One New Man Bible)

This verse from Genesis identifies God by name as “the God who sees me” (El Roi). They are the words of Hagar, the maid of Abraham’s wife Sarah. Sarah, unable to conceive, had given Hagar to Abraham so that he might lie with Hagar and have descendants through her. Once Hagar realized that she had indeed conceived, she despised her mistress and Sarah responded by dealing harshly with her. In that context, Hagar fled into the wilderness, not knowing where to go. Stopping by a fountain on the road to Shur, Hagar was approached by the Angel of the Lord who called out to her and spoke words of knowledge, encouragement, promise and wisdom. Heeding God’s words Hagar returned to her mistress knowing now that:

she would bear a son and would call his name Ishmael,

the Lord would multiply her seed exceedingly, and
Ishmael would dwell in the presence of all his brothers.

God saw, God spoke and hope was restored to a woman who was despondent. God cares about the individual and reaches out to us in our time of need.

Our God is an all knowing God. He searches our hearts and knows even the imaginations of our thoughts. (I Chronicles 28:9, ESV) “I, the LORD, search the heart; I examine the mind to reward a man according to his way, by what his deeds deserve.” (Jeremiah 17:10, BSB)

The good news for mankind is that although God can see the wickedness of our hearts, He also sees us with the compassion of a father. “As a father shows compassion to his children, so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him. For he knows our frame; he remembers that we are dust.” (Psalm 103:13-14, ESV)

Knowing our frame, God provided a way for mankind to receive His mercy without sacrifice of justice. From the beginning, the God who created us planned a way for us to have right standing with Him. “But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, He saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to His own mercy by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit.” (Titus 3:4-7, NKJV)

God’s ability to see our hearts and the imaginations of our thoughts means that He knows each of us just as we really are. We cannot fool Him with an outward appearance of piety; nor can we earn His love through mighty deeds. He knows us as we are now and as we will be in the future. He knows us, and yet He loves us. This is a fundamental truth that needs to lodge in the heart of every man and woman. Each of us is loved with the pure love of God.

Our God is a merciful God. “Then the LORD passed in front of Moses and called out: “The LORD, the LORD God, is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in loving devotion and faithfulness.” (Exodus 34:6, BSB)

We cannot comprehend the nature of God for His thoughts are higher than our thoughts and His ways are higher than our ways. (Isaiah 55:8-9) We may not comprehend Him, but we can trust God’s revelation of Himself in scripture and know that all of His names are true.

God has seen our unredeemed hearts, but He has made a promise that He will change our hearts. He will help us to become the people of God in whom He will take delight. “I will put My law in their minds and inscribe it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they will be My people. No longer will each man teach his neighbor or his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ because they will all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquities and will remember their sins no more.” (Jeremiah 31:33-34, BSB)

We will learn to love, in the same way that God loves us.

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Where scripture translations neglect to capitalize pronoun references to God, Jesus or the Holy Spirit, we have taken the liberty to do so.