THE GOD WHO SEES
Week 4: I AM Series - From Burning Bush to Bethlehem
Genesis 16:13
Psalm 139:1-4, Hebrews 4:13
INTRODUCTION
Picture a young Egyptian woman walking alone through the scorching wilderness. No water. No protection. No hope. Her name is Hagar. She fled from abuse and mistreatment. She carried a child in her womb but carried no promise in her heart.
Hagar was a servant who became a pawn in someone else's plan. Sarah gave her to Abraham to bear a child. When Hagar conceived, pride filled her heart. She looked down on Sarah. Sarah retaliated with harsh treatment. The household that should have protected Hagar became the place of her pain. So she ran.
She headed toward Shur, retracing her steps back toward Egypt. Back toward slavery. Back toward the gods who could not see her. She fled from one terrible situation straight into another. She walked through a desert with no clear destination. She faced certain death.
But something remarkable happened in that wilderness. The God of Abraham found her. He spoke to her. He made promises to her. He saw her when no one else did. This encounter transformed everything. Hagar went from being a forgotten slave to being a woman who met the living God.
Before this meeting, Hagar saw herself as disposable. After this meeting, she knew she mattered to God. Before, she ran from her problems. After, she returned with courage. Before, she felt invisible. After, she named God "El Roi, the God who sees me."
The same God who saw Hagar sees you today. Your wilderness does not hide you from His eyes. Your pain does not escape His notice. He knows where you are. He knows what you face. He sees you. This truth is directly connected to Jesus' declaration in John 10:14, "I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own." The God who saw Hagar is the same God who knows you personally through Christ.
1. ALONE IN THE DESERT
Genesis 16:1-8
Hagar's story begins with other people's decisions. Sarah chose to give her to Abraham. Abraham agreed to take her. Sarah chose to mistreat her. Abraham refused to protect her. Hagar had no voice in any of these choices. She became a victim of their plans, their pride, and their problems.
When Sarah dealt harshly with her, Hagar made her own choice. She fled. Genesis 16:9, The angel found her by a spring on the road to Shur. He asked her two questions. "Where have you come from?" and "Where are you going?" These questions exposed her situation. She came from conflict. She headed toward nothing.
Hagar's desperate flight shows us what happens when pain overwhelms us. She ran from immediate suffering without considering future consequences.
• Egypt meant slavery.
• Egypt meant paganism.
• Egypt meant abandoning the God of Abraham.
But pain clouds our judgment.
• When we hurt deeply enough, we stop thinking clearly.
• We just want the pain to stop.
The wilderness represents those seasons when life strips away every comfort.
• You lose your job.
• Your marriage crumbles.
• Your health fails.
• Your child rebels.
• Your friend betrays you.
• You stand alone with your pain.
• No one understands.
• No one helps.
• You feel abandoned and afraid.
The Israelites experienced this same terror in their wilderness journey. Deuteronomy 8:2 explains God's purpose: "You shall remember that the Lord your God led you all the way these forty years in the wilderness, to humble you and test you, to know what was in your heart." God uses wilderness seasons to reveal what we truly believe about Him.
Hagar experienced complete isolation. She left behind the only community she knew. She walked through empty desert. She faced an uncertain future. The text tells us the angel found her by a spring. Even in the wilderness, God provided water. Even in her rebellion, God pursued her.
When no one understands your situation, God does. When friends offer cheap advice, God offers true wisdom. When family members judge your responses, God knows your heart. Hagar fled from abuse. God met her in her flight. He did not condemn her for running. He redirected her with compassion. 1 Kings 19:4-8 shows us God treating Elijah with the same gentle care. When Elijah ran into the wilderness wanting to die, God did not rebuke him. God provided food, rest, and then a fresh assignment. God meets us in our desperation with provision, not punishment.
Running from pain feels natural. We avoid difficult conversations. We quit demanding jobs. We leave struggling relationships. We move to new cities, hoping that geography will change everything. But running rarely solves anything. We take our problems with us. We need God's intervention, not geographic change.
A. Your wilderness has a purpose.
• God uses desert seasons to get your attention.
• When life strips away distractions, you hear His voice more clearly.
• When comfort disappears, you seek the Comforter.
• When human help fails, you turn to divine help.
• The wilderness prepares you for what comes next.
Moses spent forty years in the wilderness before God called him at the burning bush (Exodus 3:1-2).
David hid in wilderness caves while Saul hunted him, yet those years prepared him for kingship (1 Samuel 23:14).
Jesus Himself spent forty days in the wilderness before beginning His ministry (Matthew 4:1-2).
Your wilderness is not wasted time. God uses it to shape you for your calling.
B. Your pain does not disqualify you from God's presence. Hagar ran from her circumstances, yet God pursued her. You might feel too broken, too angry, too confused to approach God. Those feelings lie. God specializes in meeting people at their lowest points. He finds the lost. He restores the broken. He comforts the suffering.
Psalm 34:18 promises, "The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart, and saves such as have a contrite spirit."
Isaiah 61:1 describes the Messiah's mission: "The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me, because the Lord has anointed Me to preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted."
Jesus quoted this passage at the start of His ministry (Luke 4:18). Your brokenness attracts God's attention rather than repelling it.
C. Your choices in pain matter. Hagar chose Egypt over submission. She chose escape over resolution. The angel called her back to the hard path. Sometimes God asks you to return to difficult situations. He promises His presence, not easy circumstances. He provides strength for the hard road, not detours around it. Jonah fled from God's assignment and ended up in the belly of a fish (Jonah 1:3, 17). Peter denied Jesus three times, yet Jesus restored him and gave him a mission (John 21:15-17). Your wrong choices do not end your story. God redirects you, restores you, and gives you fresh opportunities to obey. The key is responding to His voice when He calls you back.
D. Your isolation creates space for encounter. Hagar met God alone in the wilderness. Crowds provide a distraction. Comfort creates complacency. The wilderness removes both. There, with nothing between you and God, transformation happens. There, you learn His name. There, you discover He sees you.
2. YOU ARE EL ROI
Hagar gave God a name. She called Him "El Roi," the God who sees. This name appears nowhere else in Scripture. Hagar received a unique revelation of God's character. She discovered that God notices individuals, not just nations. He cares about servants, not just patriarchs. He sees women, not just men.
The angel told Hagar to return to Sarah. He told her to submit to harsh treatment. This command seems cruel until you see what comes with it. God promised to multiply her descendants beyond counting. He told her she would bear a son. He gave her the child's name. He described the child's future. He transformed her suffering into significance.
Hagar obeyed. She returned. She submitted. She trusted the God who saw her. Genesis 16:15 tells us she bore Abraham a son. Abraham named him Ishmael, just as the angel commanded. The God who saw Hagar kept His word.
Psalm 33:18 declares, "The eye of the Lord is on those who fear Him, on those who hope in His mercy." God's eyes scan the earth looking for people who trust Him. When He finds them, He acts on their behalf. He sees your faith. He sees your struggle. He sees your perseverance.
God's seeing means more than observation. When Scripture says God sees, it means He acts. Exodus 3:7 records God telling Moses, "I have surely seen the oppression of My people who are in Egypt, and have heard their cry." Seeing led to delivering. Genesis 29:32 says Leah named her son Reuben, meaning "The Lord has seen my affliction." God's seeing brought consolation. Exodus 2:25 states, "God looked upon the children of Israel, and God acknowledged them." His seeing preceded their redemption from slavery. When God sees your situation, He prepares your deliverance.
God watches you with intentionality.
• He does not glance at you casually.
• He observes your circumstances with purpose.
• He notices your tears. He hears your prayers.
• He records your faithfulness.
Nothing about your life escapes His attention.
This truth brings both comfort and a sense of accountability. Comfort because you never face anything alone. God sees your suffering. He knows your needs before you ask. He prepares help before you realize you need it. Accountability because you never sin in secret. God sees your compromises. He knows your hidden thoughts. He observes your private choices.
Hagar named the well Beer Lahai Roi, in Genesis 16:14, "the well of the Living One who sees me." She marked the place of encounter. She created a memorial to God's intervention. She wanted to remember this moment when God met her in her desperation.
A. God sees your suffering with compassion.
• Hagar suffered abuse from Sarah.
• She faced rejection from Abraham.
• She endured the wilderness alone.
God saw it all.
• He did not ignore her pain.
• He did not minimize her struggle.
He acknowledged her suffering and provided for her future. Your tears move His heart. Your cries reach His ears. He sees you in your pain, and He cares. Psalm 56:8 declares, "You number my wanderings; put my tears into Your bottle; are they not in Your book?" God keeps track of every tear you cry. Isaiah 49:15-16 asks, "Can a woman forget her nursing child, and not have compassion on the son of her womb? Surely they may forget, yet I will not forget you. See, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands." God's compassion exceeds even a mother's love for her child.
B. God watches your journey with purpose. The angel asked Hagar where she came from and where she was going. These questions reveal God's concern with direction, not just location. He cares about your past wounds. He cares more about your future healing. He sees where you have been. He knows where you need to go. He guides you from pain toward purpose. Jeremiah 29:11 records God's promise: "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope." Proverbs 16:9 adds, "A man's heart plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps." God watches your journey because He has a destination in mind for you. Your current location is not your final destination.
C. God observes your faith with pleasure. Hagar obeyed God's difficult command. She returned to harsh circumstances. She trusted God's promise about her son. God honored her faith. He fulfilled His word. He blessed her descendants. When you trust God in hard times, He sees your faith. He rewards those who diligently seek Him. Your obedience brings His blessing.
D. God knows your needs before you ask.
The angel found Hagar by a spring in the wilderness.
• God provided water before she died of thirst.
• He spoke to her before she reached Egypt.
• He intervened before she made irreversible mistakes.
• God sees what you need before you recognize the need yourself.
• He provides before you panic.
• He acts before you despair.
Matthew 6:8 assures us, "Your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him." Philippians 4:19 promises, "My God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus."
• God does not wait for you to figure everything out.
• He moves on your behalf while you still struggle to understand your situation.
• His provision often arrives before you recognize your need.
3. WHEN GOD SEES YOU
2 Chronicles 16:9 states, "The eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him."
God actively searches for people who trust Him. When He finds them, He demonstrates His power in their lives. His eyes miss nothing. His knowledge extends everywhere. His care reaches everyone who calls on Him.
Matthew 10:29-31 records Jesus' teaching about God's comprehensive awareness. "Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father's will. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows."
If God notices sparrows, He notices you. If He counts your hair, He cares about your concerns.
Nothing hides from God. Hebrews 4:13 declares, "There is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account."
This verse should terrify sinners and comfort saints. Sinners face exposure. Saints find acceptance. God sees your sin, yet He offers forgiveness. God knows your weakness, yet He provides strength.
Living under God's gaze changes everything. You stop pretending. You stop hiding. You stop performing for people's approval. You live transparently before the One who already knows everything about you. This transparency brings freedom. You no longer fear exposure because you stand fully known and fully loved.
Psalm 139:1-4 describes God's intimate knowledge: "O Lord, You have searched me and known me. You know my sitting down and my rising up; You understand my thought afar off. You comprehend my path and my lying down, and are acquainted with all my ways. For there is not a word on my tongue, but behold, O Lord, You know it altogether." David understood that God's knowledge penetrates every aspect of life. Nothing remains hidden.
This knowledge should transform how you pray. You stop trying to inform God about your situation. He already knows. You stop trying to convince God you deserve His help. He already loves you. You stop trying to hide your doubts from God. He already sees them. Prayer becomes honest conversation with the One who sees you completely and loves you fully. Romans 8:26-27 teaches us, "Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is." Even when you lack words, God knows your heart. Even when you struggle to pray, the Spirit intercedes for you.
God's comprehensive awareness means you face nothing alone. When you walk through dark valleys, He walks with you. When you enter the valley of the shadow of death, you fear no evil because He is with you. His presence provides comfort. His power provides protection. His wisdom provides direction.
• The God who saw Hagar sees you.
• The God who provided for her provides for you.
• The God who kept His promises to her keeps His promises to you.
• You serve El Roi, the God who sees.
• He sees your situation. He knows your struggle.
• He plans your deliverance.
A. Nothing remains hidden from God's eyes. You face no secret temptation that God does not observe. You harbor no private sin that escapes His notice. You nurse no hidden wound that He does not see. This truth demands honesty. Stop pretending you have everything together. Stop hiding your struggles from God. He already sees them. Confession brings freedom. Transparency brings healing. Honesty opens the door for God's transforming power.
Proverbs 15:3 states, "The eyes of the Lord are in every place, keeping watch on the evil and the good."
Job 34:21 adds, "For His eyes are on the ways of man, and He sees all his steps."
1 John 3:20 reminds us, "God is greater than our heart, and knows all things."
Nothing escapes His attention. No secret remains hidden. Complete transparency is not optional, it is reality.
B. God's knowledge brings comfort, not condemnation. Some people fear God's comprehensive awareness. They worry about judgment. They fear exposure. But believers find comfort in being fully known. God sees your failures and still loves you. He knows your weaknesses and still chooses you. He observes your struggles and still helps you. His knowledge leads to grace, not condemnation. Romans 8:1 promises, "There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus." God sees you through the lens of Christ's righteousness.
C. Living transparently before God frees you from people's opinions. When you realize God sees everything, you stop performing for human approval. You stop managing your image. You stop crafting your reputation. You live authentically before the One who matters most. This freedom transforms relationships. You stop hiding your real self. You admit your struggles. You ask for help when you need it. Transparency with God leads to authenticity with people.
Galatians 1:10 asks, "Do I now persuade men, or God? Or do I seek to please men? For if I still pleased men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ."
1 Thessalonians 2:4 declares, "We have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, even so we speak, not as pleasing men, but God who tests our hearts."
When you live for God's approval alone, you find freedom from the exhausting work of managing your reputation before people.
D. God's watching eye provides protection and guidance.
Psalm 32:8 records God's promise: "I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My eye." God's eye upon you means His guidance for you. He watches to protect you from danger. He observes to direct you toward blessing. He sees to provide what you need. His watchful care means you never navigate life alone. You have a Guide who knows every path, sees every obstacle, and provides every resource.
CONCLUSION
Hagar went into the wilderness feeling invisible. She emerged knowing she mattered to God. She fled feeling abandoned. She returned feeling seen. She ran away broken. She came back blessed. The difference? An encounter with El Roi, the God who sees.
The same God who met Hagar meets you today. He sees your desert. He knows your desperation. He understands your pain. You are not invisible to Him. You are not forgotten. You are not alone. The God who counts the hairs on your head watches over your life with intentional care.
This sermon asks one question: Do you believe God sees your situation? Not just theoretically. Not just theologically. Do you believe, right now, in your current circumstances, that God sees you? Do you trust that His eyes rest upon you with compassion? Do you believe that He knows your struggle and plans your deliverance?
Hagar learned three truths in the wilderness.
First, running from problems rarely solves them. God called her back to difficult circumstances. He promised His presence, not easy conditions.
Second, God sees individuals, not just crowds. He spoke to one Egyptian slave personally. He made promises to her specifically.
Third, obeying God brings blessing, even when obedience feels costly. Hagar returned to harsh treatment. She also returned to purpose, promise, and provision.
You might feel like Hagar today. You might be fleeing from painful circumstances. You might face an uncertain future. You might feel completely alone. The God who saw Hagar sees you. He pursues you in your wilderness. He speaks to you in your isolation. He provides for you in your need.
The wilderness seasons of life serve a purpose.
• They remove distractions.
• They expose what you really believe about God.
• They create space for divine encounter.
• They prepare you for what comes next.
• God meets people in deserts more often than in palaces.
• He reveals Himself in weakness more clearly than in strength.
Hosea 2:14 records God's promise: "Therefore, behold, I will allure her, will bring her into the wilderness, and speak comfort to her."
The wilderness becomes the place of intimacy with God. 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 teaches us, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness. Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me." God's power shows up most clearly in your weakness, not your strength.
ALTAR CALL
I want to challenge you today to trust El Roi, the God who sees you. Stop running from your problems. Stop hiding from God. Stop pretending you have everything under control. Come honestly before the God who already knows your situation. Trust Him with your wilderness.
Some of you run from difficult circumstances. God calls you back. Not because He wants you to suffer, but because He has purposes in that place you have not yet discovered. Return with faith in His promises. Submit to His plan. Trust His provision. Obedience might be hard, but it leads to blessing.
Some of you feel invisible. You feel forgotten, overlooked, unimportant. God sees you. Your name matters to Him. Your pain moves Him. Your faith pleases Him. You are not lost in the crowd. You are not just a number. You are seen, known, and loved by the Creator of the universe.
Some of you face impossible situations. The wilderness surrounds you. Resources have run out. Hope has dried up. Strength has failed. Look up. The God who provided a spring for Hagar provides for you. The God who made promises to her makes promises to you. The God who kept His word then keeps His word now.
Will you trust Him? Will you believe He sees your situation? Will you stop running and start obeying? Will you return to the hard place with faith in His presence? Will you submit to His plan even when it costs you?
Proverbs 3:5-6 instructs, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths." Stop leaning on your understanding. Your wisdom led you into the wilderness. God's wisdom leads you out. Acknowledge Him. Trust Him. Follow Him.
Romans 8:28 promises, "We know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose." Your wilderness has purpose. Your pain has meaning. God works all things, even hard things, together for good. Trust His process. Trust His timing. Trust His heart.
If you struggle to believe God sees you, pray this prayer: "God, I feel invisible. I feel forgotten. I feel alone. Help me believe You see me. Help me trust You care. Help me know You have not abandoned me. Open my eyes to see Your provision. Open my heart to receive Your promises. Give me courage to obey You, even when obedience is hard. I choose to trust You today. Amen."
Hagar returned to Sarah's tent. She submitted to harsh treatment. She bore her son. She raised him in Abraham's household. Years later, when Sarah demanded she leave, God provided again. He saw her second wilderness just as He saw her first. He protected Ishmael. He multiplied their descendants. He kept every promise He made.
The same God keeps His promises to you. Trust Him in your wilderness. Believe He sees you. Obey His voice. Return to hard places with faith in His presence. Submit to difficult circumstances with confidence in His provision. Live transparently before the One who sees all and loves completely.
You serve El Roi. He sees you right now. He knows what you face. He has not forgotten you. He will not abandon you. Trust Him. Obey Him. Watch Him work.
Take-Home Question: Do you believe God sees your situation?
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Blessings,
Pastor JM Raja Lawrence
Andaman & Nicobar Islands
email: lawrencejmr@gmail.com
Mobile: +91 9933250072
