The God Who Sees You

Posted on by Jennifer Arimborgo

Eye

“Then she called the name of the Lord who spoke to her, You-Are-the-God-Who-Sees, for she said, ‘Have I also here seen Him who sees me?’” (Gen. 16:13, NKJV).

Do you feel overlooked? Do you feel like the proverbial kid not getting picked for the team, on the P.E. field of life? Do you feel invisible? Do you wonder if anyone really, truly sees you?

God does. He is the God-Who-Sees.

I love the story our verse comes from today. The woman speaking these words is Hagar. Hagar the underdog, Hagar the downtrodden. Hagar, the symbol of Abraham and Sarah’s blunder. Hagar, the one cast away.

Most of us would easily brush her aside and be done with her. Who wants a reminder of past failings? Once Abraham sends her off into the desert, we are ready to do so too.

Hagar is a symbol of all who have ever felt unseen. She represents those who have received the brunt of other people’s mistakes. After all, she did not ask to be sent in to sleep with the patriarch. And yet, she was the one suffering as a result.

God saw Hagar when she felt invisible. He saw her heart and knew that it was empty. And so He gave her a dream to hold onto. “Then the Angel of the Lord said to her, ‘I will multiply your descendants exceedingly, so that they shall not be counted for multitude’” (v. 10, NKJV).

He gave her hope. He is the God of hope. He has hope for you today too. The same God who was paying close attention to Hagar is paying close attention to you, and wants to breathe hope into your heart. He begins by telling you that you are, indeed, seen!

Just how much does He see you? We are not talking about a quick glance in your direction. No; the Psalmist reveals the incredible extent of God’s personalized focus on each of us:

This attentive God saw Hagar. And He sees you. He cared deeply about her loneliness; He cares deeply about yours too. Just as He provided for her, He will abundantly provide for you, dear child.

If your heart has been feeling empty, Daddy has a dream to fill it with. In the midst of your unjust circumstances, He has glorious hope with which He wants to fill your spirit to overflowing.

So it’s time to look up… Look up and see the One who sees… gazing back on you. His eyes tell the story of the mind-boggling dream He has for you…

“For she said, ‘Have I also here seen Him who sees me?’”

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Have you ever unexpectedly become aware that God was looking at you?

26 thoughts on “The God Who Sees You”

  2. I pray daily, Jennifer, that the Spirit within me, causes me to be aware of the activities in my life and others, in that I may give thanks and grow in my faith. His being present and my being able to perceive His Love for me, multiples the joy in my heart. Len W.

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  3. I’m grappling a bit with the word “unexpectedly.” We can’t hide ourselves or our actions from Him, so I would argue that He’s always watching us. For me the unexpected aspect comes from forgetting, then remembering, that He is always there. And I believe God watches us through the eyes of our children and grandchildren, which prompts us to strive to be the best examples we can be for them.

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    1. I wholeheartedly concur, Mike! He is most certainly watching us unceasingly. But yes, we do sometimes forget. I was really blessed by a podcast I was listening to in recent history, by Pastor Bill Johnson. He was talking about how sometimes you suddenly notice a certain fragrance in the air. And that sometimes we suddenly notice God’s closeness like that, even though He’s been there all along. He encouraged us listeners to ask God for a “heightened awareness” of His presence. I have been using that expression in some of my prayer since then. 🙂 And amen to living out the example of Jesus before our children!! (I don’t have grandkids yet ;D )

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  5. An encouraging and beautiful post. In an unusual way you have reminded me of the God seeing ALL in these days in which we are living. He still has a plan and a purpose for all of Hagar’s descendants. Children of Abraham though alienated belong in his Kingdom and must too come to the Cross. (forgiven and ‘born-again’. Only HE can know the how and way. All Gentiles will come and then all of Israel. How? Because He sees – really sees – us ALL.

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  7. I remember being very moved reading Lois Henderson’s book “Hagar.” It came out at a time when surrogate mothers were in the news and a controversial issue. Reading the story from Hagar’s point of view was very poignant and relevant. How awesome that God sees and reaches out to everyone, everywhere.

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  8. Yes, it’s a novel, and when I googled it I found out it was older than I thought. I guess just reading something that seemed right out of the evening news made me think it had just been released. I loved all of Lois Henderson’s books that I read, especially the one about Priscilla and Aquila. (romantic with a surprise ending)

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  9. Jennifer, you have a wonderful blog. You provide great insight into intimacy with God. Please consider John 17:3. A pastor friend was preaching through that verse thirty years ago, not keying on that verse, Bells went off in my head, “right there in the pew!” At that moment, I began a study of everything that is related to that verse, which tells of intimacy. It is a text book definition of what is necessary for salvation. I used cross references, and brought other supporting verses into my mind. Today, I am still on a John 17:3 study. I wish you well.

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    1. Thank you so much for your kind words of encouragement! I, too, treasure John 17:3. And I rejoice to know that He has taken you into so much depths of revelation in it! I can only imagine how rich all those hours of study have been. Abundant grace and peace be yours as you continue to go deeper and deeper into His heart and Word. 🙂

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      1. Thank you. Your words humble me. I am deeply touched. Tears have come. My jaw has tightened. You are truly a blessing from God to many of whom you know, and to many of whom will never receive the blessing of personally meeting you. May you sense 2 Timothy 4:7 everyday of your life, as it has been placed within you by Christ. Amen.

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      2. Wow, thank you for such wonderful encouragement! That blesses me in a special way because Holy Spirit was very recently emphasizing that verse to me, bringing it home deeper to my heart. I am grateful!

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