INTRODUCTION
We've been talking about God's oil throughout this series. We've seen how you can't stop God's oil from flowing. We've watched the widow's oil multiply beyond imagination. We've learned about positioning ourselves to receive. But this morning, I want to address a question that I know some of you are asking in the quiet moments, in the middle of the night, when you're all alone with your thoughts.
Does God see me?
God does not see humanity in general. Neither does God see the church. Neither does God see other people. Does He see me? Does He see my struggle? Does He see my pain? Does He see what I'm going through right now? Does He see the tears I've cried when nobody else was around? Does He see the prayers I've whispered when I didn't have the strength to speak them out loud?
Turn with me to Genesis 16. I want to show you a woman who asked that very question. Her name was Hagar. And she was invisible. At least, that's what she thought.
Hagar was a servant, an Egyptian slave girl given to Abraham and Sarah. When Sarah couldn't have children, she gave Hagar to Abraham to bear a child in her place. And Hagar did. She conceived. But then everything fell apart. Sarah became jealous. She began to mistreat Hagar. The Bible says Sarah dealt harshly with her. And Hagar, pregnant and alone, ran away into the wilderness.
Can you imagine? She's carrying a child she didn't ask for, in a situation she didn't choose, serving people who don't value her. She's used, abused, and then discarded. So she runs. She goes out into the desert, sits by a spring, and breaks down.
Nobody knows where she is. Nobody cares that she's gone. Nobody's coming to look for her. She's alone. Invisible. Forgotten.
Or so she thinks.
Because in Genesis 16:7, something happens that changes everything. "The angel of the Lord found Hagar near a spring in the desert." Found her. Not happened upon her. Not stumbled across her. Found her. Like He was looking for her. Like He knew exactly where she was. Like she wasn't invisible after all.
This morning, I want to answer the question that's in your heart: Does God see me? And I want to show you that the same God who saw Hagar in the wilderness sees you in yours.
Let's pray.
I. GOD SEES YOU IN YOUR PAIN
The first thing I need you to understand is that God sees you in your pain. He sees what you're going through. He sees what's hurting you. He sees the wounds that nobody else knows about.
When the angel of the Lord finds Hagar in Genesis 16:8, He asks her a question: "Hagar, slave of Sarai, where have you come from, and where are you going?"
Now think about that. God already knows the answer. He knows where she came from. He knows what happened. He knows about Sarah's jealousy, about the abuse, about the mistreatment. He knows why she's running. But He asks anyway. Why? Because He wants her to know that He sees. He wants her to tell her story. He wants her to voice her pain.
And Hagar answers honestly: "I'm running away from my mistress Sarai."
She doesn't pretend. She doesn't sugarcoat it. She doesn't put on a spiritual mask and act like everything's fine. She tells the truth. I'm running away. I'm hurt. I can't take it anymore. I'm done.
And God doesn't rebuke her. He doesn't tell her to toughen up. He doesn't say, "You shouldn't feel that way." No. He meets her right where she is, in her pain, in her brokenness, in her moment of complete desperation.
Church, can I tell you something? God sees you in your pain. He sees the abuse you've endured. He sees the rejection you've experienced. He sees the betrayal that broke your heart. He sees the loss that's crushing you. He sees the diagnosis that terrifies you. He sees the financial pressure that's keeping you up at night. He sees the relationship that's falling apart. He sees it all.
And not only does He see it, He cares about it. You're not invisible to Him. You're not forgotten. You're not alone. He knows your name. He knows your story. He knows what you're going through.
Some of you have been carrying pain for so long that you've convinced yourself nobody cares. You've told yourself that your struggle doesn't matter, that nobody would understand, that you just need to push through and keep going. But God is saying to you today what He said to Hagar: I see you. I know where you've come from. I know what you're going through. And I haven't forgotten you.
The oil of God flows to those who are hurting. It flows to those who are broken. It flows to those who feel invisible. Because God sees you in your pain, and He's not going to leave you there.
II. GOD SEES YOUR FUTURE
But God doesn't just see your pain. He sees your future. He sees beyond this moment. He sees what you can't see yet.
After Hagar tells her story, after she pours out her pain, God does something remarkable. He doesn't just comfort her and send her on her way. He speaks prophetically over her life. He tells her about her future. He tells her about the son she's carrying. He tells her that her descendants will be too numerous to count. He gives her a promise.
Listen to what He says in Genesis 16:10-11: "I will increase your descendants so much that they will be too numerous to count. You are now pregnant and you will give birth to a son. You shall name him Ishmael, for the Lord has heard of your misery."
The Lord has heard of your misery. God not only sees your pain, but He also hears your cries. And He's not content to leave you in your misery. He's got a plan. He's got a future. He's got a promise.
Hagar is sitting by a spring in the desert, convinced her life is over. She's pregnant, alone, running from abuse, with nowhere to go and no one to turn to. And God shows up and says, "Your story's not over. This pain you're in right now? It's not the end. I've got plans for you. I've got promises for you. I see your future, and it's bigger than your pain."
Church, I need you to hear this: God sees your future. He sees beyond this trial you're in. He sees beyond this season of struggle. He sees beyond this moment of crisis. And what He sees is promise. What He sees is purpose. What He sees is plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
You may be in the wilderness right now, but God sees the destination. You may be in the desert right now, but God sees the promised land. You may be in the fire right now, but God sees the refining that's taking place. You may be in the storm right now, but God sees the calm that's coming.
Don't judge your future by your present circumstances. Don't let the pain you're in right now convince you that there's no hope. Don't let the wilderness make you believe that God has abandoned His promises. Because God sees what you can't see yet. And He's working things out for your good even when you can't see how.
The oil of God is flowing toward your future. It's flowing toward your promise. It's flowing toward the purpose God has for your life. And nothing you're going through right now can stop it.
III. GOD SEES WHEN NO ONE ELSE DOES
Now here's where it gets powerful. After God speaks to Hagar, after He gives her the promise, after He shows her that He sees her pain and her future, Hagar does something that will change your life if you let it.
She gives God a name. Genesis 16:13 says: "She gave this name to the Lord who spoke to her: 'You are the God who sees me,' for she said, 'I have now seen the One who sees me.'"
You are the God who sees me. In Hebrew, it's "El Roi." The God who sees. Not the God who sees everyone in general. Not the God who sees the big picture. The God who sees me. Personally. Individually. Intimately.
Hagar discovers something in that wilderness that we all need to discover: when everybody else overlooks you, God sees you. When everybody else forgets about you, God remembers you. When everybody else abandons you, God finds you.
Sarah didn't see her. She just saw a slave, a tool to be used for her own purposes. Abraham didn't see her. He just went along with whatever Sarah wanted. The other servants probably didn't see her. She was invisible. Forgotten. Discarded.
But God saw her. God knew her name. God knew her situation. God knew her pain. God cared. And God showed up.
Church, even when no one else sees you, God does. Even when you feel invisible, forgotten, overlooked, passed over, ignored, God sees you. He knows your name. He knows your struggle. He knows your story. And He hasn't forgotten about you.
You may feel like Hagar, alone in the wilderness, wondering if anyone cares. You may feel like the world has moved on without you. You may feel like you don't matter. But I'm here to tell you what God told Hagar: I see you. I've always seen you. I've never stopped seeing you. And I'm not going to let you stay invisible.
The God who saw Hagar in her wilderness sees you in yours. The God who heard Hagar's cries hears yours. The God who met Hagar at the spring in the desert is meeting you right where you are today. Because He is El Roi. The God who sees.
IV. GOD'S SIGHT CHANGES EVERYTHING
Now watch what happens after this encounter. God tells Hagar to go back. Go back to Sarah. Go back to the difficult situation. Go back to the place of pain. And at first, that might sound harsh. Why would God send her back to the place she ran from?
But here's what's different: Hagar isn't going back as the same person. She's going back with a revelation. She's going back knowing that God sees her. She's going back with a promise. She's going back with a future. She's going back with a name for God that nobody else in Scripture has given Him yet: El Roi, the God who sees.
And that changes everything.
When you know that God sees you, you can go back to hard places. When you know that God hasn't forgotten you, you can face difficult circumstances. When you know that God has a purpose for your pain, you can endure what you couldn't endure before.
Hagar went back. She had her son. She raised him. And years later, when Sarah finally had Isaac and drove Hagar out again, this time permanently, Hagar ended up in the wilderness again. But this time, she wasn't alone. This time, she knew who God was. This time, she knew that the God who saw her before would see her again.
And He did. Genesis 21 tells us that when Hagar and Ishmael were dying of thirst in the wilderness, God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water. It was there all along. She just couldn't see it until God opened her eyes.
Church, that's what happens when you encounter El Roi, the God who sees. He doesn't just see you. He opens your eyes to see what He sees. He shows you the provision that was there all along. He shows you the promise that never went away. He shows you the purpose for which pain was preparing you.
The oil of God flows when you know that He sees you. It flows when you stop living for the approval of people who don't even notice you and start living for the God who's never taken His eyes off you. It flows when you stop trying to make yourself visible to the world and start resting in the knowledge that you're visible to Him.
CLOSING: THE GOD WHO SEES YOU
So let me answer the question: Does God see me?
Yes. Absolutely. Without question. Undeniably. Yes.
He saw you before you were born. He saw you when you took your first breath. He saw you when you took your first steps. He saw you when you gave your heart to Him. He saw you in every moment of joy and every moment of pain. He sees you right now, exactly where you're sitting, exactly where you are in your journey. And He will see you tomorrow, the next day, and every day after that.
You're not invisible to Him. You never have been. You never will be.
He sees your pain. He sees your struggle. He sees your tears. He sees your fear. He sees your doubt. He sees your questions. And He hasn't turned away. He's not disappointed. He's not frustrated with you. He sees you, and He loves you, and He's not going to let you go.
But He also sees your future. He sees your promise. He sees your purpose. He sees the plans He has for you. He sees the anointing He's placed on you. He sees the calling He's given you. He sees what you're going to become, and it's greater than anything you're going through right now.
So when you're in the wilderness, remember Hagar. Remember that the God who saw her sees you. Remember that the God who heard her hears you. Remember that the God who met her in her moment of desperation is meeting you in yours.
You serve El Roi, the God who sees. And He's never stopped looking at you.
ALTAR CALL
How many of you need to encounter El Roi today? How many of you need to know that God sees you? How many of you have been feeling invisible, forgotten, overlooked, and you need God to remind you that He's never taken His eyes off you?
Maybe you're like Hagar, running from pain. Maybe you're sitting in the wilderness, wondering if anyone cares. Maybe you've been crying out to God and wondering if He even hears you.
I want to tell you what God told Hagar: I see you. I know your name. I know your story. I know your pain. I haven't forgotten you. I haven't abandoned you. I haven't stopped caring about you. I see you, and I'm going to meet you right where you are.
If that's you today, I want you to come. Come and encounter the God who sees. Come and let Him speak over your life. Come and receive the promise that He has for you. Come and let Him open your eyes to see what He sees.
Because the oil of God flows to those who know they're seen. It flows to those who understand that they matter to Him. It flows to those who encounter El Roi and discover that they've never been invisible.
Let's pray.
"Father, You are El Roi, the God who sees. Thank You for seeing us. Thank You for knowing us. Thank You for never forgetting us, never overlooking us, never abandoning us. Open our eyes today to see that You see us. Let us encounter You the way Hagar did. Speak over our lives. Give us Your promises. Show us our future. And help us to walk in the confidence that comes from knowing we're never invisible to You. Pour out Your oil on every person here who needs to know they're seen. In Jesus' name, Amen."
