El Roi – The God Who Sees and Cares

Today I was reading from Genesis 16, and one phrase captivated my heart: "You are the God who sees me."

In this chapter, Hagar—an Egyptian servant, alone and pregnant in the wilderness—has a profound encounter with God. Sarai had dealt harshly with her, and in despair, Hagar fled. It was there, in her lowest and most vulnerable moment, that the Lord found her.

What moved me deeply was how Hagar described the God she met.

First, she obeys the Lord’s instruction to name her son Ishmael, which means “the Lord hears.”

Then, in verse 13, she gives a name to the Lord Himself: El Roi, “the God who sees me.”

She even names the place where she met Him after this attribute of God. And she adds something beautiful:

“Have I truly seen the One who sees me?” or, in some translations, “Have I seen Him who looks after me?”

That phrase—“looks after me”—stopped me in my tracks. It isn’t just that God saw her from afar. It’s that He cared.

She was pregnant, vulnerable, abandoned, and possibly feeling invisible. But at her place of need, the Lord showed up. And in that encounter, He revealed Himself not only as all-knowing but also intimately caring.

Here’s what this moment teaches me about God:

1. God Deals in Personal Encounters

Throughout Scripture, we see a God who meets people one-on-one. He called Abraham out of Ur. He spoke to Moses from a burning bush. He blinded Paul on the road to Damascus. He sat by a well and spoke to a Samaritan woman. And here in the desert, He finds Hagar.

God isn't distant. He doesn't wait for us to climb our way up to Him. He comes to us. He meets us personally.

2. God Meets Us Where We Are

Hagar didn’t go on a pilgrimage to find God. She was running away. She was weary, lost, and alone. And that’s exactly where God found her.

Sometimes we think we need to fix ourselves up to meet God. But the story of Hagar reminds us: God steps into our mess. He shows up in our wilderness.

3. God’s Encounter Changes Us

After meeting the Lord, Hagar wasn’t the same. She went back—not just to her situation, but with a new revelation of who God is.

Encounters with God don’t always change our circumstances immediately, but they change us. They remind us that we are not forgotten. That we are seen. That we are heard. That we are looked after.

And here’s the comfort that ties it all together—a chorus that came to my heart this morning:

And He never sleeps, He never slumbers.

He never tires of hearing our prayer.

When we are weak He becomes stronger.

So rest in His love and cast all of your cares on Him.

This morning, I’m reminded that God sees me. He hears my prayers, even when they’re whispered in weariness. He looks after me—not from a distance, but with intimate care.

And so, my prayer is simple:

Lord, thank You that You do not tire of hearing me. Thank You that You see me, hear me, and look after me. Even when I feel unseen, I can rest in the assurance that I am fully known and fully cared for. Amen.

What a comfort it is to know that we serve El Roi—the God who sees, hears, and cares.