Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. Psalm 139:16 NIV
There are numerous names for God throughout the Bible. Most are names He gave Himself, but some were given to God by others. All of them are based on something completely true about Himself and His character. In Psalm 139, powerful King David calls God “Lord,” a name God repeatedly calls Himself. YHWH, the proper name of God, refers to Himself as the only One God, eternal. The theme of Psalm 139 is that God sees David wherever he goes, even in his mother’s womb before he was born.
He begins with the thought that God knows the innermost thoughts of a person, actions, and even their future plans. The knowledge is not just intellectual and impersonal – it is a deeply intimate understanding. David says that God is everywhere in every corner of our world and is even in the heavens and the depths we cannot see. There is no place where someone can be hidden and unseen by God. David uses “I” and “you” all throughout the Psalms, emphasizing that God is not just a distant observer but a deeply involved participant in our lives. YHWH, the Lord, is also El Roi, the God who sees.
The story of Hagar, the slave girl who ran away to the wilderness in panic from a very abusive situation, is the one who gave God that name. Wilderness is the setting for many key moments in Scripture. They often represent a dry or lonely time when a person or group is suffering, struggling in their faith or in need of mercy. They are feeling unseen by the Lord. But God meets His people in their wilderness with His presence. As Hagar was groaning in the wilderness, the angel of the Lord came to her. He helped her understand she was not alone. God promised to care for her and all her descendants. In grateful wonderment Hagar called Him by the name El Roi in Hebrew, which means “the God who sees.”
When God saw Hagar in her deep hurt in the wilderness, He asked her two questions: “Hagar, where have you come from and where are you going?” He already knew, but He wanted her to identify her pain and need. She said, “I have been seen by the One who ‘raha’ me.” In the Hebrew that means to understand or experience. He wants you to share your story with Him too because he cares about you personally and he gets you.
Hagar’s meeting with this God did not change her situation, but it changed her. Knowing that God saw her situation and her future gave her hope and strength to get through the hard time and create a great future for her and her son.
- God sees, hears, and gets you. He will help you create a future of hope and joy.