This year I have decided to read the Bible chronologically. One thing that has already stood out to me is one of the names of God, El Roi - God sees me.
In Genesis 16, Hagar is running away from Sarai and God finds her in the desert. Hagar is being mistreated, has nowhere to go and is wandering around in the harsh desert. After the encounter with God, Hagar gives God of Abraham the name, El Roi - the God who sees me (vs. 13 “I have now seen the One who sees me”) and goes back to Abram and Sarai. Five chapters later, God once again finds Hagar in the desert after being cast out by Sarah and promises to care for her and her son.
Just as God saw Hagar, He sees every one of us. Hagar was a slave, a servant purchased from Egypt. She had no rights. Hagar and her son Ishmael were thrown out of Abraham's protection to live in the desert, which could have been seen as a death sentence. ‘But God’ (I love that phrase!), But God saw her and didn’t leave her.
Just as God saw Hagar by a well, he saw Moses in the desert (Exodus 3), Joseph in the pit and then in prison (Genesis 37-50) and Peter in prison (Acts 12). That list can go on and on. And just as God saw them, he sees us. We are promised that God sees us and never abandons us (Joshua 1:9, Isaiah 41:10, Deut 3:16, Zephaniah 3:17).
In Romans 8:38-39 we are promised “For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord”. There is literally nothing that can separate us from God. God is with you dear people, he loves you and he sees you!
So, as we serve God in this ministry (and wherever he has called us to serve), let’s remember that God sees us and is with us. He is here to guide and protect us. I need to remember this and I need to pass it on to others. Too many people feel isolated and not seen today. We need to remind people what God has said in his Word - “And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20).
~Rosanne, Volunteer