Genesis 16:13-14
Then she called the name of the Lord who spoke to her, “You are a God who sees”; for she said, “Have I even remained alive here after seeing Him?” Therefore the well was called Beer-lahai-roi; behold, it is between Kadesh and Bered.
The "she" in the above verses is Hager, the hand-maid of Abraham's wife, Sarah. Sarah had grown impatient with giving birth to a child and concocted an idea to have Abraham to have relations with Hager and that would take care of the problem. It didn't! In fact, this act of unfaithfulness toward God's plan (God had already told them He would give Abraham a son through Sarah) would prove to become nothing but a tremendous problem for the rest of mankind's recorded history. The son born to Hager (Ishamel) would become the father of the Arabs and hence there would be war from that day forward. Yet, in the midst of this difficult story of Sarah and Abraham putting their own plan in place, Hager is found in the wilderness by God and showed compassion. She has an encounter with God and realizes that she had seen God and talked with Him. She memorializes this moment at a well she names, Beer-lahai-roi. The name is translated, "The well of the one who sees me." She refers to God as Elroi, which is translated, "You, God, see me ... or, the God who sees me." Hager recognizes the truth that God sees us and acts in our lives. This is not a passive seeing. God sees us and intervenes in our lives. We can rejoice in the fact that we have a God who doesn't just see through us or over us or beyond us. We have a God that sees us and looks upon us with compassion and concern. Here is a women who was used by Sarah and will give birth to a boy who will become the father of all those who hate Abraham's descendants through the son Sarah will give birth to: Isaac. Yet, despite this obvious difficulty, God sees Hager and she, in her response to God, gives us one of the greatest names of God ... Elroi!! When we pray, "Elroi," we are acknowledging that God sees us. This is a blessed truth; Elroi!! God sees us!! Despite the bleakness of our pain, suffering, or circumstances: Elroi!! No matter how dark the day and how far the dawn: Elroi!! No matter where we are, mountain top or valley deep: Elroi!! You are the God who sees!!!
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